More than 70 American Senators and Representatives have written to U.S. President Joe Biden on the eve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s arrival in Washington DC for a state visit, asking Mr. Biden to raise concerns around democratic norms and human rights in India with Mr. Modi.
“A series of independent, credible reports reflect 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,” the lawmakers wrote, citing a number of reports and statistics such as rankings for press and religious freedoms.
The letter said India and U.S. “share a special bond through moral leaders who shaped our histories” and cited the esteem with which Mahatma Gandhi and U.S. civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. are held in India and the U.S. respectively.
