AThe head of Narendra Modi’s state visit to Washington this week, Pramila Jayapal, a progressive Democratic congresswoman, circulated a letter signed by dozens of congressional lawmakers calling for Joe Biden to acknowledge the erosion of human rights and democracy during the Indian Prime Minister’s nine years in power. .
“A number of independent and credible reports reflect troubling signs in India of shrinking political space, rising religious intolerance, the targeting of civil society organizations and journalists, and growing restrictions to freedom of the press and access to the Internet,” he warned.
The letter was also signed by Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren; However, notable in his absence were several Indian-American politicians and democrats, including Ro Khanna, Shri Thanedar, Ami Bera and Raja Krishnamoorthi.
Modi’s state visit comes at a consequential time for the small but record number of Indian Americans in Congress.
Many of these same lawmakers have led some of the country’s most vocal and comprehensive responses to threats to American democracy, from the bipartisan approach to China to voting rights legislation.
But talking about India’s crackdown on religious freedoms, the press and speech carries political risk: Some lawmakers serve large constituencies in the diaspora, and polls suggest at least half of Indian Americans continue to be supportive by Modi. The voting bloc is also growing in influence and political importance: now numbering 4 million, they are on track to be the largest among Asian Americans.
Meanwhile, a growing number of Indian-Americans are speaking out against Modi’s brand of Hindu nationalism, Hindutva, and its repercussions in India and abroad.
“It’s a difficult terrain for Indian American politicians to navigate or lead a response to Modi’s visit,” said Sara Sadhwani, a professor of politics at Pomona College and author and researcher for the Indian-American Election Survey. “It’s one thing to support the US-India relationship. It’s another thing to support a leader.”
Khanna, a congressman from California, represents the largest Asian-American district in the country. The Democratic-majority district is home to some of the most concentrated South Asian communities in the US, and Khanna was recently named co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and American Indians.
But when Khanna has broached the subject of Modi in recent years, he has quickly drawn backlash from Modi’s supporters and critics alike. In 2019, he tweeted a call to American Hindu politicians to “stand up for pluralism, reject Hindutva and speak up for equal rights for Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists and Christians”. More than 200 Indian-American organizations immediately filed complaints and asked him to do so to resign of the Pakistan Congress Caucus.
Last month, when Khanna joined House Speaker Kevin McCarthy inviting Modi to address Congressadvocacy organizations and activists such as the Indian American Muslim Council voiced their opinion own disappointment.
“I very strongly support the strategic relationship between the US and India and I also believe that it must be based on a commitment to the rule of law, pluralism and human rights; we must build and strengthen the relationship” , Khanna told the Guardian. , adding that the “vast majority” of his constituents felt the same. His office did not immediately comment on Jayapal’s letter.
Pramila Jayapal’s letter warned of “worrying signs” in India about the erosion of human rights. Photograph: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
Krishnamoorthi, a congressman from Illinois, also acknowledged the complicated issues of democracy in India, but pointed to the country’s role in the context of US tensions with China.
“What is very important is that right now democracy is under threat [in the US and India] and we have to do whatever it takes to move forward,” he said. “I’ve lived through January 6; it represents how fragile our own democracy is. At the same time, I’m aware of what’s happening in India and I’m concerned .
“We need to make sure we take advantage of each other’s strengths and promote democracy everywhere. Because remember there’s an alternative model that the Chinese Communist Party is buying.”
These qualified acknowledgments of the threats facing democracy in India do not go far enough for some.
“The White House and Congress are making a terrible mistake by celebrating Modi on this trip,” said Arjun Sethi, a Georgetown law professor and human rights activist. “Human rights abuses continue to worsen under his administration and they should be asking him very hard questions instead of honoring him.”
Sethi pointed to numerous internet outages that the Modi government has become accustomed to stifle dissent and extreme tactics to stifle the press, whether by blocking accounts on Twitter or deportation of journalists. But he said the onus was not just on lawmakers, but on members of the community itself.
“There is a well-known phenomenon among South Asians in America who claim to be liberals and supporters of human rights, except when it comes to Modi, violence and hatred against marginalized communities in India,” he said.
Sadanand Dhume, a senior fellow focused on South Asian politics at the American Enterprise Institute, said lawmakers like Khanna have to do a “balancing act” to serve both a progressive base and Modi’s supporters. But he also said the chasm between Indian Americans who supported Modi and those who were critical or indifferent to him was only expected to grow with the younger population.
“Hindu nationalism as an ideology is innately unappealing, and there is a large proportion of the Indian-American community that is not Hindu,” he said. “The ideas espoused by the BJP [Modi’s party] they are simply not compatible with liberal democracy as we understand it.”
Meanwhile, the White House has done its own balancing act. Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, said the administration would “make our views known” about India’s press and religious freedoms, according to Reuters. “We do it in a way where we don’t seek to lecture or claim that we don’t challenge ourselves.
For all the careful political calculation, Thursday’s events promise to be contentious. Some Congress members, including Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, will boycott Modi’s speech in the chambers due to anti-Muslim sentiment. And thousands of Indian Americans, likely to include influential political donors, invited to Modi’s speech could meet with protesters outside the White House complex.
But for some Indian-American lawmakers, protecting the ability to represent the US while simultaneously strengthening a relationship with India is worth it.
“I just want to focus on the people of both countries,” said Thanedar, a congressman from Michigan. “I would like to see a much stronger relationship with India than we have seen in the last few decades.”
