Barack Obama
Former US president Barack Obama said on Thursday that if the Muslim minority is not respected, India risks pulling apart, and he urged Prime Minister Modi to address the matter.
Hours later, US President Joe Biden, speaking at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Modi, emphasized that believing in the dignity of every individual is in India’s DNA.
“We believe in the dignity of every citizen, it’s in America’s DNA and I believe in India’s DNA that a whole world has a stake in our success”, President Biden added.
In an interview, Obama stated, “If I had a conversation with Prime Minister Modi, who I know well, part of my argument would be that if you do not protect the rights of ethnic minorities in India, there is a strong possibility at some point that India starts pulling apart”.
Obama commented on Biden’s meeting with Prime Minister Modi, saying, “If the President meets with Prime Minister Modi, then the protection of the Muslim minority in a majority-Hindu India, that’s something worth mentioning”.
Obama also stated that addressing human rights issues with allies was always complicated.
In response to a query from a US journalist, Prime Minister Modi vehemently denied any discrimination against the Muslim minority.
“Regardless of caste, creed, religion, gender, there’s absolutely no space for discrimination”, Prime Minister Modi remarked.
On his maiden state visit, PM Modi met with Biden at the White House to address a wide range of mutual and global interests, with the goal of strengthening Indo-US strategic partnerships in sectors such as defence, space, clean energy, and climate change.
