Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) on Tuesday called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming joint address to Congress “shameful” and said she would boycott the event.
The Michigan Democrat, one of two Muslim women in Congress, wrote on Twitter that Modi’s “long history of human rights abuses, anti-democratic actions, targeting Muslims and religious minorities, and censoring journalists is unacceptable.”
Tlaib is not the only Democrat who is critical of Modi’s visit to the U.S.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) will host an event at the Capitol following Modi’s joint address to Congress with human rights experts, religious freedom leaders and other members of Congress on Indian policy issues.=
A group of over 70 Democrats from both the House and the Senate have asked President Biden to make human rights the focus of his discussion with Modi during his state visit this week.
The State Department’s 2022 religious freedom report also highlighted significant human rights issues including credible reports of unlawful and arbitrary killings, extrajudicial killings by the government or its agents among many more concerns.
A U.S. panel also recommended that the State Department designate India among others as “countries of particular concern” for violating religious freedoms.