Last week, Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar called on United States (US) President Joe Biden to criticise Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s administration over its human rights record. While speaking at the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s meeting on ‘Restoring American Leadership in the Indo-Pacific,’ she argued that the Indian government’s actions against Muslims are consciously being ignored by the government in order to achieve the wider goal of countering China’s growing influence in Asia.
Omar urged the Biden administration to be wary of repeating its mistakes in the Cold War era, and supporting “brutal dictators in the name of having a common enemy.” Citing the examples of Augusto Pinochet in Chile and Suharto in Indonesia, she warned against repeating the “historical injustices,” which she said were “profound, moral, and strategic” mistakes of the Cold War.
Why has the Biden Administration been so reluctant to criticize Modi’s government on human rights?
— Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) April 6, 2022
What does Modi need to do to India’s Muslim population before we will stop considering them a partner in peace?
These are the questions the Administration needs to answer. pic.twitter.com/kwO2rSh1BL
In this regard, she declared, “What worries me is that this time we seem willing to let Modi be our new Pinochet.” She highlighted the US’ Indo-Pacific policy, questioning how the aim to promote “a free and open” Indo-Pacific was going to be achieved if the government continued to refrain from criticising the Modi administration.
In response, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said that the government continues to engage with all countries, including India, to raise any human rights concerns. “We reinforce voices for human rights in countries even where we have many other agendas with the government of those countries. I think you will see that everywhere,” Sherman stressed.
Expressing her dissatisfaction with the reply, Omar questioned, “ What will it take? How much does the Modi administration have to criminalise the act of being Muslim in India for us to say something? And I ask you again, what will it take for us to outwardly criticise the actions that the Modi administration is taking against its Muslim minorities in India?”
In particular, Omar raised concern about the silence on the growing Islamophobia in India, cautioning that the situation could spiral “out of control” like the Rohingya crisis. “But we have an opportunity now to lead and make sure that there is deterrence in the actions that they are taking as our partners,” she added. Omar emphasised on the importance of standing up for all religious, ethnic, and racial minorities in the world, noting the significance of promoting commitments to human rights amongst the US’ allies, and not just their adversaries.
During his election campaign in 2020, Biden vowed to make human rights issues the central focus of US foreign policy. In fact, in one of his campaign statements, he said, “In Kashmir, the Indian government should take all necessary steps to restore rights for all the people of Kashmir.” Likewise, his running mate, Kamala Harris, asserted, “We have to remind Kashmiris that they are not alone in the world.”
More recently, Biden’s nominee for ambassador to India, Eric Michael Garcetti, said his focus as the envoy to India would be on human rights and enhancing India’s capacity to secure its borders.
Read more: Biden’s Promise to Hold Human Rights Violators Accountable Will Not Affect India
Concern about India’s human rights record has been a common theme in bilateral relations over the past few years. In its 2020 Report on International Religious Freedom, the US expressed concern about violence and discrimination against religious minorities in India. Furthermore, in April last year, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) urged the State Department to designate India as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ (CPC) for the second year in a row. In its 2021 report, the USCIRF said that conditions for religious freedoms in India “continued their negative trajectory” in 2020 and blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government for promoting Hindu nationalist policies that have resulted in “systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.”
India has also faced criticism and even warnings from the US over its refusal to join its Western allies in condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with Biden even going as far as calling India’s commitment “shaky.” In fact, New Delhi has continued to maintain an economic and political relationship with Moscow by purchasing discounted Russian oil and is even considering a Rupee-Ruble exchange mechanism to bypass sanctions against Russian financial institutions. India has also abstained from voting on resolutions in both the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) that sought to condemn Russia’s military actions in Ukraine and called for a withdrawal of its troops.
Respected @KamalaHarris , the world and India had great expectations of you when you were named the Vice President of the United States. Our women look at you with hope and faith that you will speak up against this tyranny @IlhanMN @antonioguterres https://t.co/1xRYNQbrdB
— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) April 8, 2022
Nevertheless, India remains a critical part of the US’ Indo-Pacific strategy. As per the document released in February, the US supports a “strong India” to check China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific. It also argues in favour of “steadily” increasing the Major Defence Partnership with New Delhi, specifically to facilitate its “role as a net security provider,” and lauds India as a “driving force of the Quad” and as a “like-minded partner and leader in South Asia and the Indian Ocean.”
Therefore, given India’s indispensability in the Indo-Pacific, the US is unlikely to pressure India on this topic beyond surface-level rhetoric, despite Omar’s pleas and Biden administration officials frequently expressing human rights concerns.
In fact, Modi and Biden are scheduled to hold a virtual discussion today ahead of the upcoming India-US 2+2 meeting. Reports suggest that the US President will bring up the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and urge the Indian leader to take a stronger stand on the issue.