The US State Department has confirmed in a letter to Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN) that Modi will not be granted a US visa for the World Gujarati Conference in New Jersey. Amidst lobbying efforts by his supporters to get his US visa reinstated, Modi was invited to attend the World Gujarati Conference by its organisers.
Responding to the July 8 letter written by Congresswoman Betty McCollum, Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs, Mr. Matthew Reynolds said: “The Department of State is extremely sensitive to your concerns and we are cognizant of the human rights abuses Mr. Modi has committed”. It further stated: “We have thoroughly searched Department records and located no current nonimmigrant visa applications for Mr. Modi. However, should we receive an application, we assure you it 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 said, “The current response from the State Department has virtually made Narendra Modi a persona non grata to the US.”
The Coalition Against Genocide appeals to the organizers of the World Gujarati Conference, for which Modi was invited, to abandon the politicians and politics of division and hate as embodied by Narendra Modi and embrace the ideals of Gujarat’s greatest hero, Mahatma Gandhi.
“By persistently inviting the most notorious human rights abuser in India and propping Narendra Modi as their icon and hero, the organizers of the World Gujarati conference have brought shame to the Indian American community and have tarnished the name of India,” said Dr. Hari Sharma.