US legislators praise PM Modi’s remarks at the joint session of congress
In his address to the Joint Meeting of the US Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for strengthening the strong friendship between the two democracies, which has been cultivated by a number of close economic ties and expanded cooperation in areas like defense, trade, and technology. Leading American lawmakers have praised this call.
Modi, who spoke to the US Congress on Thursday on behalf of 1.4 billion Indians, said it is always a tremendous honor and a unique opportunity to address the US Congress twice. The prime minister addressed the US Congress for the second time; the previous time was in 2016.
The strong friendship that has developed between our two countries, cultivated by a variety of close economic ties and shared opportunities, was highlighted in Prime Minister Modi’s speech to Congress today, according to Senator Mark Warner, Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee and Co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus.
He said: “I am happy to see President Biden and Prime Minister Modi take advantage of this visit to continue strengthening the ties between our nations and increase our cooperation on defense, trade, technology, and innovation.”
In light of the growing global authoritarianism, Warner added, “it is also crucial as never before that we uphold and affirm the shared values that form the cornerstones of our respective nations, such as democracy, universal human rights, tolerance and pluralism, and equal opportunity for all citizens.”
The senator who on Thursday introduced legislation to simplify the United States’ ability to consider defensive military sales to India under the U.S. Arms Export Control Act (AECA) said, “As the Co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus, I look forward to this continued partnership because I know that the US-India relationship is one that is worth investing in.”
Young Kim, the chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Indo-Pacific Subcommittee, and Michael McCaul, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, expressed their gratitude for Modi’s visit and speech to Congress as well as the strengthening of ties between the United States and India in a statement. This includes cooperation in the areas of defense and space, technology exchange, and interpersonal relations.
“This visit will help to deepen our support for a rules-based international order and our shared commitment to a free, open, and thriving Indo-Pacific. We anticipate this visit furthering our collaboration and further solidifying US-India ties because of the influence the US-India partnership will have on ensuring prosperity and security for billions of people, they added.
According to Congressman French Hill, Prime Minister Modi showed during his speech that he understands the value of the relationship between our two countries and the need for them to continue to build on their economic partnership, shared values, and national security requirements in order to advance democracy globally.
Prime Minister Modi is a crucial partner of the United States, and Hill thanked him for taking the initiative to improve ties between our two countries.
Cori Bush, Ilhan Omar, Jamaal Bowman, and Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib abstained from the combined meeting.
Actions speak louder than words when it comes to defending human rights, as the saying goes. The four MPs stated in a joint statement that by giving Prime Minister Modi the exceptional honor of a joint speech, Congress “undermines its ability to be a credible advocate for the rights of religious minorities and journalists around the world.”
We stand in solidarity with the communities that Modi’s policies have impacted. We ask all Members of Congress who claim to support freedom and democracy to join us in boycotting this shameful spectacle because we must never compromise human rights for political expediency, they stated.
