continue... Congressman Sestak urged Secretary Rice: “I am deeply concerned that a visit to the United States by Chief Minister Modi is in violation of the International Religious Freedom Act and will provide tacit approval of his reprehensible statements, policies and actions that violate the core of the human rights upon which our nation is founded, I respectfully request your leadership in publicly condemning his actions and policies by once again denying Chief Minister Narendra Modi the right to enter this country.”
In another snub highlighting Modi’s isolation on the stage of international politics, the Gujarat Chief Minister’s name has been dropped from the list of invitees at the World Economic Forum, (WEF), being held in Tianjin, China this September. Modi’s Principal Secretary had earlier confirmed to newspapers that the Chief Minister had received an invite from WEF.
Amidst reports of a lobbying effort by his supporters to get his visa reinstated, Modi has been invited to attend a conference in New York on August 29-31st 2008.
Since the reports of Modi’s invitation surfaced in the press, CAG has launched a campaign to have the State Department publicly reaffirm its past decision of not granting a visa to Modi. Following the CAG campaign, Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN) as well as the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, (USCIRF), weighed in with the State Department on continuing the entry ban on Modi.
