Modi received with warmth by US leadership and Indian Americans

AS CHANTS of ‘Modi, Modi’ and ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ (Hail Mother India) rang around Madison Square Garden, the small crowd protesting against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States slowly dispersed.

But the warmth with which the American leadership and the Indian-American community received Modi has raised concerns about laundering his past.

Meanwhile, enticed by the huge economic opportunity in India, Modi’s economic reforms and plans for infrastructural development, countries are eager to improve relations with the new government.

Massacre

Even the United Kingdom, which had previously denied Modi a visa, is hopeful that he will visit soon, although an invitation by British MPs in 2013 was rounded on by a group of top academics. Lapido Media reported them saying that the invitation was ‘grotesque’ given his connection to and failure to condemn the massacre of 1,000 men, women and children in Gujarat when he was the state’s chief minister.

After the Indian elections in May Britain’s Prime Minister, David Cameron, extended an invitation to Modi. Since then Cameron has sent three senior leaders – more than any other country – to New Delhi.

Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who met the Indian PM in New Delhi in August during a visit that did nothing to damage the $16bn worth of trade ties between the two countries, defended Modi’s human rights record by saying that he would take his promise to ‘govern on behalf of all Indians’ on face value.

On social media platforms too there is overwhelming support for Modi’s business and developmental agenda. And any talk of his past is seen as regressive and as a distraction for his mission of improving India’s economic standing.

Frivolous

When the US Federal Court for the Southern District of New York issued a summons against Modi for his role in the 2002 Gujarat riots, the Indian government dismissed the case as ‘frivolous’.

The US government too came to his rescue. Nisha Biswal, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, was quick to point out that as a sitting head of government, Modi enjoys  ‘immunity from legal actions and cannot be personally delivered a summons.’

But since his election Modi has shown none of the signs of hatred towards minorities, or Islamophobia, which were so talked about before his victory. However, his critics point out that Modi has remained disturbingly silent even as some members of his party and other right-wing Hindu groups use anti-minority rhetoric.

Modi has tried to strike a cordial tone with all minority groups. In an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Modi called al Qaeda’s announcement to recruit Muslims from India for global jihad as ‘delusional.’

Delusional

He said of al Qaeda that 'they are doing an injustice to the Muslims of our country. If anyone thinks Indian Muslims will dance to their tune, they are delusional. Indian Muslims will live for India, they will die for India — they will not want anything bad for India.’

Modi has also expressed his appreciation of the Sikh community despite protests led by Sikh groups in India and supported by similar groups in the UK.

In this speech at Madison Square Garden, Modi mentioned the sacrifice of the Sikh community for India and that their contribution to India’s security is unquestionable. This observation would have been noticed by Sikh leaders who want Modi to deal with Sikhs on the black list who aren’t terrorists but are unable to return to India after fleeing abroad.

On his maiden visit to the US, he was also hard-pressed to improve not only his credentials as India’s unchallenged leader, but build on his emerging reputation as a world leader. In this regard his meeting with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a delegation of American-Jewish community becomes important.

Tolerance

Both these meetings provided him an opportunity to showcase India’s – especially Hinduism’s – ethos of religious tolerance. In both meetings he mentioned that Jews have a 2000-year history in India, and that India was the only country that did not harbour any anti-Semitic attitude.

In his first few months in power, Modi has steered clear of religious issues. He has framed his mandate in terms of development and efficient governance. By talking about the future rather than the past, Modi has been able to shift international and domestic focus towards India’s vast economic opportunity.  But only time will tell if his show of meeting non-Hindu faith leaders in the US will begin a healing process with minority faiths back home.