US legislators with dubious credentials now part of Congress toolkit: BJP slams letter to Biden by 72 members

While stating that the letter written by a bunch of US legislators with dubious credentials is the new arsenal in Congress’s toolkit, BJP asked the Congress party how long will it lean on foreign media and money to undermine the will of the people. This is especially at a time when the US has rolled out a red carpet for PM Modi.

The letter written by 72 American politicians to United States President Joe Biden, urging him to discuss the need to protect human rights and democratic values in India, has triggered a political slugfest between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party. Even as members of the Congress party shared the letter by US Representative Pramila Jayapal, US Senator Chris Van Hollen and 72 others, the BJP claimed that the letter written by a bunch of US legislators, "with dubious credentials", is the new arsenal in Congress’s toolkit.

BJP's National Information and Technology Department head Amit Malviya took to Twitter to say, "After Rahul Gandhi’s recent visit to the US, where he was hosted by organisations closely aligned to the Jamaat and ISI, held closed-door meetings with associates of George Soros and was reportedly in clandestine confabulations with foreign agencies, now a letter written by a bunch of US legislators, with dubious credentials, is the new arsenal in Congress’s toolkit. How long will they lean on foreign media and money to undermine the will of the people? A thread on who these people are."

What do the 72 American Politicians want?

The politicians said that a series of independent, credible reports reflected troubling signs in India toward the shrinking of political space, the rise of religious intolerance, the targeting of civil society organizations and journalists, and growing restrictions on press freedoms and internet access. 

'Specifically, the State Department’s 2022 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in India documents the tightening of political rights and expression. Similarly, the State Department’s 2022 Report on International Religious Freedom in India details the worrisome increase of religious intolerance toward minorities and religiously motived violence by both private and state actors,' they said. 

'We do not endorse any particular Indian leader or political party -- that is the decision of the people of India -- but we do stand in support of the important principles that should be a core part of American foreign policy. And we ask that, during your meeting with Prime Minister Modi, you discuss the full range of issues important to a successful, strong, and long-term relationship between our two great countries,' they added.

Read the full letter below: