US President Joe Biden stresses need to defend democratic norms to PM Modi over call

Biden had argued in favour of asking India to restore rights of people of Kashmir and expressed disappointment over NRC and CAA issues.

US President Joe Biden, who spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi three weeks after taking over the Oval Office at the White House, underscored "his desire to defend democratic institutions and norms around the world".

Biden, during his phone call with Modi, also underlined that "a shared commitment to democratic values" was "the bedrock for the US-India relationship", according to a statement released by the White House early on Tuesday.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a separate statement that the two leaders noted that the India-US partnership was "firmly anchored in a shared commitment to democratic values".

The stress on defending democratic norms in the White House readout is significant as it comes close on the heels of a US State Department statement that subtly criticised the way the Modi government dealt with the farmers' protests against the new agricultural laws.

The US State Department noted that peaceful protests were the “hallmark of any thriving democracy”. It added that unhindered access to information, including the Internet, was fundamental to the freedom of expression.

Read: Biden speaks to PM Modi, stresses defence of democratic norms and strong regional ties

The statement was issued after local authorities shut down Internet access to farmers camping on the borders of Delhi.

The powerful India Caucus of the US Congress too urged New Delhi to adhere to democratic norms and allow farmers to protest peacefully and to have access to the Internet. The co-chairs of the caucus, Brad Sherman and Steve Chabot, the Democrat and Republican members of the US House of Representatives, had a meeting with New Delhi’s envoy to Washington DC, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, last week.

The Modi government had drawn flak from some US lawmakers over the detention of political leaders and activists, shutdowns and restrictions imposed in Jammu and Kashmir after the erstwhile state was reorganised into two Union Territories in August 2019. The US lawmakers also criticised the BJP government for the new Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the process of updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam.

Ahead of the US presidential polls on November 3 last year, Biden too had argued in favour of asking New Delhi to restore the rights of the people of Kashmir. He had also expressed disappointment over NRC and CAA issues.