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June 21, 2023

Reps. Tlaib, Omar & Raskin to Boycott Narendra Modi Address to Congress
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in New York Tuesday to begin
a four-day state visit. On Thursday, President Biden will hold a formal
state dinner for Modi hours after he addresses a joint session of
Congress. The Biden administration is attempting to strengthen ties to
India as part of an effort to counter China's growing power in the
Indo-Pacific region.
Modi is head of the Hindu nationalist BJP party. He was once banned from
the United States on charges he did not intervene in a massacre against
Muslims in 2002 in the Indian state of Gujarat. 
At least three Democratic lawmakers plan to boycott Modi's address to
Congress: Representatives Jamie Raskin, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib. In
a post on social media, Tlaib wrote, "It's shameful that Modi has been
given a platform at our nation's capital-his long history of human
rights abuses, anti-democratic actions, targeting Muslims & religious
minorities, and censoring journalists is unacceptable."