By TwoCircles.net correspondent
In a major embarrassment to Gujarat Chief Minster Mr. Narendra Modi and Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), the US State Department has virtually declared Mr. Modi a persona non grata to the United States. A letter issued earlier this month shows that the US will deny visa if Mr. Modi ever applies.
In a letter written to Congresswoman Betty McCollum, a Democrat from Minnesota, the US State Department said that they are aware of the human rights abuses that Mr. Modi has committed. The letter written by an Acting Assistant Secretary at the State Department refers to two reports that were published by them that document the Gujarat genocide and Mr. Modi’s involvement.
The letter confirms that Mr. Modi has not applied for a visa application and the State Department assured the Congresswoman who has written a letter urging the department not to issue a visa to Modi, that Mr. Modi’s application, if received will be rejected.
The letter states that Mr. Modi’s application will be adjudicated “in strict accordance with the Immigration and Naturalization Act, including Section 212(a)(2)(G) which states that ‘any alien who, while serving as a foreign government official, was responsible for or directly carried out, at any time, particularly severe violations of religious freedom, as defined in section 3 of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C 6402) is inadmissible.’”
Commenting on the letter, Dr. Hyder Khan of the Coalition Against Genocide (CAG), that lead the campaign for Modi’s visa denial said “the current response from the State Department has virtually made Narendra Modi a persona non grata to the US.”
A grassroots campaign by CAG generated more than 12,000 letters sent to the US lawmakers.
A total of 32 US Lawmakers have so far written letters to the State Department expressing concern over human rights abuses in Gujarat and urging the denial of US visa to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for his impending visit to New Jersey to attend an overseas Gujarati function.
With impending Lok Sabha elections, this letter from the State Department puts in jeopardy Mr. Modi’s hope of having a prominent role in the national politics.
Link:
http://coalitionagainstgenocide.org
http://www.narendramodi.in/