Biden hails US-India relationship, fetes prime minister
President Biden emphasized common ground with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India on Thursday during a lavish state visit meant to bolster ties with the world’s most populous nation, but he publicly skirted points of friction over the crackdown on human rights in India and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
After a pomp-filled, red-carpet arrival ceremony, Biden and Modi announced a range of initiatives to advance cooperation in technology, energy, and military hardware but announced no movement toward each other on the areas of disagreement that have strained the relationship in recent months, especially Ukraine.
In a modest but notable breakthrough, however, Biden coaxed Modi into taking questions from reporters at a news conference, apparently the first time he had done so in his nearly decadelong tenure. Challenged on his record on human rights and religious freedom, Modi insisted that democracy is “in India’s DNA” and denied that his government has engaged in discrimination based on race, faith, or other such distinctions.
“Democracy is our spirit. Democracy runs in our veins. We live democracy,” Modi said as Biden watched in the East Room of the White House. “There’s absolutely no space for discrimination,” Modi added, even as demonstrators outside the White House gates protested the crackdown on dissent back in India.
The state visit for Modi is the latest move on the geopolitical chess board as Biden seeks more allies against increasingly aggressive governments in Moscow and Beijing. India, which remained staunchly nonaligned during the Cold War, has refused to join the US-led coalition aiding Ukraine in its war against invading Russian forces. And although it shares a certain enmity for China, it has not fully subscribed to Washington’s strategy for dealing with the Asian giant.
Biden celebrated India’s rise with a display of pageantry on the South Lawn complete with marching bands, honor guards, and a 21-gun salute, followed by a gala dinner in the evening. In between, Modi addressed a joint session of Congress.
Modi told lawmakers that in India “diversity is a natural way of life.”
“We are home to all faiths in the world, and we celebrate all of them,” added Modi, in a line that brought many cheering lawmakers to their feet.
A group of more than 70 lawmakers wrote to Biden this week urging him to raise concerns about the erosion of religious, press, and political freedoms during the visit. According to the Associated Press, at least six Democratic representatives — Cori Bush of Missouri, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Greg Casar of Texas, and Jamaal Bowman and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York — boycotted Modi’s address because of concerns about his human rights records.
Among the joint agreements highlighted Thursday was a deal between General Electric and state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited to manufacture in India F414 engines used to power the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.