Bengaluru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s State visit to the United States of America has just been concluded and in many ways the visit is being seen as a boost to strategic ties between India and the US, especially with regard to defence deals.
While PM Modi was given a warm welcome at the US, even from the NRIs over there, a certain section was wary of his visit questioning his alleged silence on persecution of minorities in the country. In fact, ahead of Prime Minister visit to USA, the Congresswoman Ilhan Omar did not attend his speech. She tweeted saying “Prime Minister Modi’s government has repressed religious minorities, emboldened violent Hindu nationalist groups and targeted journalists, human rights advocates with impunity. I will not be attending Modi’s speech”.
As Prime Minister Modi attended the state dinner at The White House, policymakers, Congresswomen like Ilhan Omar, Rashida Talib and Congressman Jim McGovern and many others did not mark their presence.
Many human right activists and other representatives of organisations pointed out persecution of minorities and democratic backsliding in India.
Many took to Twitter to express their difference of opinion over Modi’s visit to US. There were images of trucks carrying protest banner drive through New York as a symbol of resistance against the visit of Prime Minister Modi’s visit to USA among many others.