SPECIAL CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING: Democratic Backslide in India

In late June, President Biden and Congressional leaders hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a state dinner and invited him to address a joint session of Congress, despite the steep decline of democratic values and the continuous violation of human rights against minority communities in India under Modi’s rule.

This prompted multiple civil rights organizations to release an open letter urging President Joe Biden to reconsider his decision to invite Prime Minister Modi to a state dinner. The letter highlighted several examples of Modi’s authoritarian rule and human rights abuses, including the implementation of discriminatory laws aimed at suppressing the citizenship rights of minorities, restricting religious conversions and interfaith marriages, and cracking down on freedom of speech, dissent, and assembly.

The state dinner and joint session with Congress went on as planned, underlining the Biden administration’s blatant disregard of the democratic backsliding of India under Modi and his BJP government.

We invite you to join us for a special Congressional Briefing on “The Democratic Backslide in India,” which will cover the dangers of ignoring the Modi government’s authoritarian crackdown on the world’s largest democracy.

David Curry – Commissioner, USCIRF

Dr. Fernand de Varennes – UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Rights

Ajaykumar V.B. – Executive Director, Equitives Foundation

Ajit Sahi – Advocacy Director, IAMC

This Briefing is co-hosted by: Genocide Watch, World Without Genocide, Indian American Muslim Council, Hindus for Human Rights, International Christian Concern, Jubilee Campaign, 21Wilberforce, Dalit Solidarity Forum, New York State Council of Churches, Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations of North America, India Civil Watch International, Center for Pluralism, International Commission for Dalit Rights, American Muslim Institution, Students Against Hindutva Ideology, International Society for Peace and Justice, The Humanism Project and Association of Indian Muslims of America.