India rejects discrimination, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi argued at the White House on Thursday, offering a vague — and extremely rare ― response to international concerns about his government.
“Democracy runs in our veins. ... We have always proved that democracy can deliver and when I say deliver, this is regardless of caste, creed, religion or gender,” Modi said at a joint press conference with President Joe Biden. “If there are no human rights, then it’s not a democracy. ... There is absolutely no space for discrimination.”
Modi made the remarks in his first response to a question at a news conference since he took over India in 2014. Wall Street Journal reporter Sabrina Siddiqui asked the Indian leader about rights groups’ assessments that his government is discriminating against religious minority groups and quashing dissent.
“What steps are you and your government willing to take to improve the rights of Muslims and other minorities in your country and to uphold free speech?” asked Siddiqui, who is herself one of a handful of high-profile Muslim American journalists.
Modi expressed “surprise” at the criticism and repeatedly said democracy is core to India. But he did not outline any specific measures to address international concerns.
Siddharth Varadarajan, a prominent Indian reporter, blasted Modi’s remarks as hollow and out-of-touch.
The leader, who is on his first state visit to the U.S., rarely grants interviews to journalists. Modi’s team initially resisted the idea of the joint press conference with Biden, two U.S. officials told CNN. And Modi’s government has repeatedly raided media organizations, including the BBC in February. Journalists and human rights groups say fundamental freedoms are under attack in India.
Biden and Modi have touted India’s democratic credentials, saying the closer relationship between Washington and New Delhi is rooted in shared values.
In prepared remarks to reporters on Thursday, Biden said “universal human rights ... face challenges around the world and in each of our countries.”
He expressed confidence in India’s commitment to press freedom and religious freedom. Responding to a similar question from Siddiqui, Biden said: “The common democratic character of both our countries and our people ... is in America’s DNA and I believe in India’s DNA.”
Under Modi, whose political party ascribes to a Hindu nationalist ideology, India has seen a growth in attacks on and fear-mongering about its religious minorities, particularly its 200-million-person Muslim community.
Earlier this year, the independent watchdog U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom asked the State Department to place India on a religious freedom blacklist ― the fourth time it has done so since Modi took office. The Biden administration has repeatedly declined to put India on the list.
Extremely sensitive to scrutiny or calls for changes to his policies, Modi and his allies often aggressively target their opponents. Critics of Modi in the U.S. told HuffPost the fear of repercussions for challenging the Indian leader now extends to Capitol Hill and America’s large Indian diaspora. Only 1 of 5 Indian American federal lawmakers signed a recent letter to Biden urging him to talk to Modi about rights concerns. One congressional aide argued: “In some ways it’s harder to work on Modi than Palestine.”
A coalition of rights activists working on India issues condemned Biden’s decision to honor Modi with a state dinner and a formal welcome. They urged the president to publicly call for his Indian counterpart to change his policies.
Multiple Democratic legislators ― including Reps. Ilhan Omar (Minn.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Cori Bush (Mo.), Rashida Tlaib (Mich.) and Jamaal Bowman (N.Y.) ― plan to boycott Modi’s joint address to Congress on Thursday afternoon.