ICC Note:
A religious minority group based in New York has launched a petition to stop India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, from visiting the White House in September. President Barack Obama recently invited Modi following his election despite Modi being banned from visiting the U.S. due to his track record of abusing religious minorities in India, including Christians. The petition reminds President Obama of this dark track record and urges him to cancel the meeting.
7/22/2014 India (Outlook) – A New York-based Sikh rights group, which had earlier campaigned against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh, has launched an online petition campaign urging President Barack Obama to cancel the invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat.
“Instead of hosting Modi at White House, President Obama should condemn Modi and ban BJP for perpetrating violence against Muslims, Sikhs and Christians,” says the White House online petition which was launched by the Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) yesterday.
Obama has invited Modi to visit the US for a meeting with him at the White House on September 30.
“In June 1984, BJP instigated military attack on the Golden Temple resulting in the massacre of thousands of Sikh pilgrims. In 2008, BJP orchestrated violence against Christians in Orissa,” the petition alleges.
The petition, requires at least 100,000 signatures by August 20 to gain any attention of the White House, and on the first day had got less than two dozen.
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