PM Modi's US visit: Biden will NOT lecture India on human rights, but issue on talks agenda
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan highlights that US President Biden would address his concerns regarding human rights to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in both public and private discussions. However, the US President will not be lecturing the visiting dignitary on the matter.
FollowUnited States President Joe Biden is expected to address human rights concerns during his discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, although he will refrain from "lecturing" the Indian leader on the matter, a senior American official. The two leaders are scheduled to engage in high-level talks on Thursday, covering a wide range of mutual and global issues.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan emphasized that President Biden would express his concerns about human rights to Modi, both publicly and privately, without seeking to assert that the United States is free from challenges itself. "That will be the nature of the conversations that take place here over the course of the next couple of days," he stated, as reported by the US media.
A senior official from the State Department also noted that the United States engages in frank and constructive discussions about human rights at all levels, including the highest levels. As a genuine partner and friend of India, the US speaks honestly and constructively about their differences, regularly raising concerns about human rights and religious freedom with senior Indian government officials.Â
This dialogue takes place in an atmosphere of mutual respect, while also supporting all pillars of Indian democracy. The official chose to remain anonymous.
Earlier, a group of American lawmakers sent a letter to President Biden, urging him to directly address "areas of concern" with Prime Minister Modi and discuss a comprehensive range of important issues for a successful, strong, and long-term relationship between the two countries.Â
The lawmakers emphasized the importance of honest and forthright discussions between friends, with 75 signatories to the letter, including Indian-American lawmaker Pramila Jayapal. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) also called on President Biden to address religious freedom and related human rights issues in India during Prime Minister Modi's state visit.Â
USCIRF Commissioner David Curry stated that with India's upcoming visit, the Biden administration has a unique opportunity to explicitly incorporate religious freedom concerns into the bilateral relationship between the two countries.
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