Modi reaches out to US lawmakers on Ukraine, democracy

Washington: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sought to allay concerns in the US Congress about India’s position on the Russian invasion of Ukraine by reiterating his public and direct message to Russian President Vladimir Putin: that “this is not an era of war” but of dialogue and diplomacy.

The standing ovation that followed showed members of the Congress had wanted to hear that assurance from the Prime Minister as many among them, including stanch and steady friends of the bilateral relationship had expressed concern with India’s refusal to condemn Russia and said the time had come for India to choose which side it wanted to be on.

Modi also spoke at length about India’s commitment to democracy, which was another issue of concern for the lawmaker, more than 70 of whom wrote a joint letter to US President Joe Biden this week urging him to raise issues of democracy, religious and press freedom in India.

The Prime Minister also, however, proceeded to bunch the rule of the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughals with that of the British empire, calling them together as “thousand years of foreign rule”, in the context of the 75th anniversary of Indian independence in 2022.

Modi became today the first Indian Prime Minister to address a joint session of the US Congress twice, calling it an “exceptional privilege”.

He spoke in English, reading from a teleprompter, to repeated applause from the floor and the packed visitors gallery, which frequently cheered him by chanting “Modi, Modi” and, finally, “Vande Mataram” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”.

Modi described the Russian invasion of Ukraine one of “deeply disruptive developments” in recent years when “war returned to Europe”. He said the Global South was deeply affected.

“The global order is based on the respect for the principles of the UN Charter, peaceful resolution of disputes and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the Prime Minister said to loud applause from the lawmakers.(IANS)