WASHINGTON, DC: A controversial House bill that was introduced last month, which condemned the persecution of religious minorities in India and lauded the Obama Administration for its continued resistance to open diplomatic relations with BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, has been slammed by Congressman Ed Royce (R-CA), chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee.
House Resolution 417 was brought to the floor of the House of Representatives in November by Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA) and Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), in an effort to call on India to create courts for religious minorities and once again blame Modi for his alleged role in the 2002 Gujarat riots. The bill was controversial almost from the start, with the Hindu American Foundation in particular urging constituents to write to the bill’s 29 supporters and urge that it not be passed.
Now, the US India Political Action Committee (USINPAC) has joined the fray, and they’ve got some powerful help in Royce.
This past weekend, Royce said that HR 417 “weakens, rather than strengthens, the friendship between the US and India,” and said that it belittled the work of Indian Americans to better their individual communities and the US as a whole. Royce also said that the scope of the resolution was limited, saying that it was focusing only on certain events that fit into what it wanted to say rather than examining the full spectrum of religion in India.
Another influential voice – Eni Faleomavaega, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific – also decried the legislation, and called its likelihood of ever actually reaching a vote on the House floor slim. He also noted that India’s Supreme Court has not found any evidence to actually tie Modi to the Gujarat riots.
The tide against the anti-Modi resolution – which was also supported by the Coalition Against Genocide (CAG), a long-time Modi denouncer – could mean that the White House is open to diplomatic relations with the BJP leader should he win the elections next year. While many have speculated as to what will happen with US-India bilateral ties if India elects a Prime Minister that can’t even get a visa to enter the US, the Obama Administration has said they are willing to work with Modi, and clearly that sentiment has support in Congress on both sides of the aisle.
The USINPAC, in the meantime, is dedicating its efforts to making sure there are no undue influences on the Indian elections from the US government, saying “India is a sovereign nation and its citizens have a right to choose their leaders.”
Source: AmericanBazaarOnline.com
