'Will NOT be attending PM Modi’s speech...' Why some US lawmakers will 'boycott' PM's address to US Congress
US lawmakers Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib decided to boycott Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s joint congressional address. PM Modi is going to be the first Indian leader to address the joint session of the US Congress twice.
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FollowUS lawmakers Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, the two Muslim women in Congress, said they would boycott Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming joint address to Congress. They cited alleged human rights violations in India as their reason behind the decision.
Taking to Twitter, Omar said: “Prime Minister Modi’s government has repressed religious minorities, emboldened violent Hindu nationalist groups, and targeted journalists/human rights advocates with impunity."
She further wrote, ‘I will be holding a briefing with human rights groups to discuss Modi’s record of repression and violence."
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In a tweet, Tlaib wrote, "It’s shameful that Modi has been given a platform at our nation’s capital—his long history of human rights abuses, anti-democratic actions, targeting Muslims & religious minorities, and censoring journalists is unacceptable."
"I will be boycotting Modi’s joint address to Congress," she added.
Ilhan Omar visited Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in April 2022 and spoke with Imran Khan, a former prime minister of Pakistan. While the White House in the USA hastily distanced itself from Omar's visit, claiming that it was made in her personal capacity, India had criticised the political ploy.
Omar has been ranting frequently against India. Last year, she had even criticised the Biden administration for pursuing a healthy relationship with the Modi government and had claimed that the Modi government is ‘anti-Muslim’.
President Biden has been urged by more than 70 Democrats from the House and the Senate to raise human rights with Modi during his official visit this week.
On the invitation of US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, Prime Minister Modi is visiting the US on an official state visit. PM Modi will speak to a joint session of the US Congress on June 22. PM Modi will make history by becoming the first Indian head of state to twice address a joint session of the US Congress.
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