As if this was not enough, President Obama, the only US president to

attend a Republic Day parade in India, opened a massive broadside

against Modi during the visit by saying: ‘If the president meets with PM
Modi, then protection of Muslim minority in a Hindu majority India is
something worth mentioning…if you do not protect the rights of ethnic
minorities in India, then there is a strong possibility that India at some
point starts pulling apart’.

Not only did Biden discuss the issue of human rights with Modi, he was
constrained to admit somewhat sheepishly that he and Modi had ‘a
good discussion about democratic values’.

This unrelenting onslaught was happening despite Modi speaking on

democracy before the US Congress for almost 10 minutes in his 58
minute speech. The focus on democracy was not lost even when he
spoke on climate change, saying ‘A spirit of democracy, inclusion and
sustainability defines us’. He claimed that India was working to even
‘democratise supply chains’!

Modi’s failure to convince the US political class about his commitment

to protecting human rights, especially of minorities, is important
because he went to great lengths to convince them of this. The White
House’s public response to the BJP-led Islamophobic trolling of an
Indian American reporter for asking Modi a question about Muslims
gives us an indication of what the Biden administration really thinks
about the Modi government’s record.
First Lady Jill Biden, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden at the White
House. Photo: Twitter/@WhiteHouse.

Russia and China

On global geopolitics, Modi, despite theatrics, and there were many,

chose the path of balance. Without mentioning Russia and China, he
alluded to them in the context of the war in Ukraine and in the context
of developments in the Asia Pacific region. US Congressmen gave him
a standing ovation when he called for ‘respect for sovereignty and
integrity’ in the context of the war in Ukraine, and when he said ‘we
share a vision of a free open and inclusive Indo-Pacific connected by
secure seas’. On the Quad, Modi’s comment, ‘the Quad has emerged
as a major force of good for the region’ was quite bland. In an hour-
long speech, the total time devoted to Ukraine was about one minute
and to the Indo-Pacific about two minutes.

On Ukraine, Modi was reiterating the exact position that ambassador

T.S. Tirumurti, India’s permanent representative to UN, had taken on
February 25, 2022 while abstaining on the UNSC’s ‘Adoption of
Resolution on the situation in Ukraine’. His stand on the Indo-Pacific
was exactly the position taken by defence minister Rajnath Singh on
November 23, 2022 at the ‘9th ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting’ at
Siem Reap, Cam