India Tomorrow
NEW DELHI—As many as 75 US lawmakers have asked President Joe Biden to raise issues pertaining to violations of human rights, religious freedom of minorities, curtailment of democracy and restrictions on freedom of the press.
PM Modi is currently on a three-day official visit to the US.
They said that since President Biden would be discussing several things that of mutual interest to with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the lawmakers advised President Biden to raise the issues of concern as well.
They said that since the respect for human rights, press freedom, religious freedom and pluralism were necessary to the functioning of true democracy and the US states itself applied these principles within the country itself, they said that it was necessary that these principles were applied equally to friend and foe alike.
The lawmakers pointed out that since the US was a very close friend of India, President Biden must raise these issue directly with PM Modi.
Trying to substantiate their allegations about violation human rights of minorities and press freedoms etc, the letter referred to the US State Department’s 2022 Report on International Religious Freedom in India. The report claimed “increase of religious intolerance toward minorities and religiously motivated violence by both private and state actors.”
The letter also referred to the State Department’s 2022 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in India that reported about the “tightening of political rights and expression” in India.
The letter said that these reports indicated “troubling signs in India toward the shrinking of political space, the rise of religious intolerance, the targeting of civil society organisations and journalists, and growing restrictions on press freedoms and internet access.”
However, the Government of India had rejected both the reports, calling them motivated.
Quoting from reports of Reporters Without Borders, the letter said that India, which was known for its vibrant and independent press, has fallen significantly in press freedom ranking. Referring to Access Now reports, lawmakers said that India ranked first in terms of most internet shutdowns for the fifth year in a row.
The lawmakers said that while they joined President Biden in welcoming PM Modi, they stated that “we want the friendship to be built not only on our many shared interests but also on shared values.”
