US President Donald Trump will raise the issue of religious freedom in India during his meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a senior administration official said, a sensitive subject for the Indian government.
Modi’s government has faced large scale-protests at home and criticism abroad for enacting a citizenship law that is seen as discriminating against Muslims and has deepened concerns his administration in undermining India’s secular traditions.
That measure came months after the Indian government withdrew the special autonomy given to the Muslim-majority region of Jammu and Kashmir, tightening its hold.
It also jailed dozens of political opponents and separatists and imposed a communications blackout.
Trump, who is due in India tomorrow, will talk about the two countries’ shared traditions of democracy and religious freedom, the senior administration official said in a conference call on Friday ahead of the two-day trip.
“He will raise these issues, particularly the religious freedom issue, which is extremely important to this administration,” the official said.
Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party denies any bias against the country’s 180mn Muslims.
It has strongly rebuffed foreign criticism, saying the changes in Kashmir and the new citizenship law were internal matters.
In recent months, New Delhi has clashed with Turkey and Malaysia after they criticised the government’s policies.
Modi, who has built a personal rapport with Trump, is pulling out all the stops for the visit, which will kick off in his political hometown of Ahmedabad with a massive public reception.
Soon after winning a second term in office last year, Modi had spoken about his government’s priority of inclusive growth for everyone, including religious minorities, the administration official said.
“And I think that the President will talk about these issues in his meetings with Prime Minister Modi and note that the world is looking to India to continue to uphold its democratic traditions, respect for religious minorities,” the official said.
Trump has faced criticism at home for imposing a travel ban on several Muslim-majority countries, a move he has argued is necessary to guard against terrorism.
Four US senators wrote to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo this month, saying Modi’s steps in Kashmir and the citizenship laws were troubling and “threaten the rights of certain religious minorities and the secular character of the state.”
The bipartisan group of Senators Lindsey Graham, Todd Young, Chris Van Hollen and Dick Durbin asked the State Department for information in 30 days about the number of political detainees in Kashmir, restrictions on the Internet and cell phone service, and access for foreign diplomats, journalists and observers.
They also expressed concern over the crackdown on protesters opposing the citizenship law, which lays out a path to Indian nationality for six religious groups from neighbouring countries including Hindus, Sikhs and Christians, but not Muslims.
During the visit Trump will open the world’s biggest cricket stadium and watch the sun set at the famed Taj Mahal, but behind the spectacular optics he is expected to face a protectionist counter-punch on trade.
Trump’s blossoming bromance with Modi belies prickly relations, particularly over commerce, with both men ramping up protectionist measures.
Experts say this has hurt US efforts to make India a strategic counterweight to China, while Trump’s mediation offer in Kashmir has annoyed New Delhi.
“We’re not treated very well by India, but I happen to like Prime Minister Modi a lot,” Trump, 73, said before his maiden official visit with First Lady Melania, daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Trump told a rally on Thursday that “6to 10mn people” would be along the route of his motorcade, but this appears to be a misunderstanding.
Organisers said there will be tens of thousands.
A 700m wall has been built, allegedly to hide a slum, while construction workers have been rushing to complete the Sardar Patel Stadium.
It will be rammed with around 100,000 people for an event dubbed “Namaste Trump”, payback for a “Howdy, Modi” rally in Houston last year in front of some of America’s vast Indian diaspora.
The Trumps will then fly to the Taj Mahal, but afterwards it will be down to business in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Police walk past a hoarding with the images of US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad yesterday.
