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A flurry of US-India deals is being struck as Biden and Modi meet.

A flurry of US-India deals is being struck as Biden and Modi meet.

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After rolling out the White House red carpet for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, President Joe Biden hailed a new era in the US-India relationship, touting deals on defence and commerce to counter China’s global influence.

Biden told reporters at a joint press conference with Modi that the partnership is “stronger, closer, and more dynamic than at any time in history,” and the economic relationship is “booming,” with trade more than doubling over the last decade.

“A trade and investment partnership between India and the United States is critical not only for our two countries, but also for the global economy,” Biden said. “We have decided to resolve long-pending trade-related issues and start over,” he said.

After the two leaders emerged from Oval Office talks in which their differences on Russia and human rights were discussed, Modi touted “a new chapter” in the countries’ “strategic partnership.”

Washington sees India as a critical strategic counterweight to China, though some analysts and former officials question India’s willingness to stand up to Beijing collectively on issues such as Taiwan. In Moscow’s war in Ukraine, Washington has been frustrated by India’s close ties with Russia.

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In the aftermath of strained relations with neighbouring China, Modi is attempting to increase India’s, the world’s most populous country with 1.4 billion people, influence on the global stage.

“We have also decided that, in the face of global uncertainties, India and America will, as trusted partners, build reliable, secure, and resilient global supply chains and value chains,” he added.

Biden believes the benefits of engaging with the world’s most populous democracy during increased tensions with rival China outweigh the costs and risks.

“The challenges and opportunities that the world faces in the twenty-first century require India and the United States to work and lead together, and we are,” Biden said as he welcomed Modi to the White House.

A cappella group Penn Masala performed renditions of songs by American group Maroon 5 and from movies starring Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan at a morning ceremony at the White House.

Following Modi’s speech to Congress, Biden will host the Indian leader for a glittering state dinner on Thursday evening.

US- modi agreements

According to Biden administration officials, sweeping agreements on semiconductors, critical minerals, technology, space cooperation, defence cooperation, and sales will usher in a new era in bilateral relations.

Some aim to diversify supply chains to reduce reliance on China. Others attempt to monopolise advanced technologies that may be used on future battlefields.

The US has also sought to counter China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region by strengthening defence ties with India, Japan, Australia, South Korea, and other Pacific and Southeast Asian countries.

Here’s a list of deals that have been or will be announced:

General Electric (GE) and India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) have signed an agreement to jointly manufacture engines for the Indian Air Force.

The historic agreement is the most significant of all the announcements thus far, as it shows that the US is willing to grant India access to critical American technologies such as F414, which it rarely shares with non-allies.

The agreement is significant for India because it can help it meet its target of using homemade jets powered by homemade engines to keep costs under control and avoid becoming dependent on a foreign supplier.

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The F414 GE engine in question has been used by US Navy aircraft for more than 30 years. HAL powers its indigenous light combat aircraft called “Tejas” with the F414’s predecessor. India is currently working on the next-generation Tejas 2, powered by the F414. The same engine will power India’s next-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft.

Under a maritime agreement, US Navy ships in the region can stop in Indian shipyards for repairs, and India will purchase armed MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones made in the US.

Micron Technology, a US chipmaker, will invest more than $800 million in a new $2.75 billion semiconductor assembly and test facility to be built in Modi’s home state of Gujarat.
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Modi Decoding Yoga Day Position: Unmasking the Deception

Modi Decoding Yoga Day Position: Unmasking the Deception

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It is time to take back yoga from the Indian prime minister, who is exploiting it as a smokescreen for an agenda of ethno-nationalist state brutality.

When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi first addressed the United Nations General Assembly in 2014, he was there with a mission: to propose a resolution that recognizes June 21 as the International Day of Yoga and India as the spiritual birthplace of yoga. He was successful in accomplishing both of these goals.

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Modi enthusiastically framed yoga as “an invaluable gift of [India’s] ancient tradition” while addressing a gathering of nearly 200 political leaders. He hypothesized that honouring yoga could assist in promoting world peace, attenuating the adverse effects of climate change, and eliminating armed conflict. The following year saw the first-ever International Yoga Day celebrations around the globe.

And on Wednesday, the United Nations welcomed Modi back to its headquarters so that he might preside over the event that will take place this year. But exactly which vision of India did Modi present to the rest of the world?

It was the one that expanded on the common conception of India as the most populous secular democracy in the world and the location of a rapidly growing economy. Not the one that admits that Modi’s India has a shattered democracy, which is indicated by the rise of an authoritarian, Hindu nationalist, and caste supremacist agenda.

Since Modi became the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he and his spiritual allies have appropriated yoga as a form of propaganda for Hindu nationalism and right-wing policies, to rewrite India’s history, and to divert public attention away from their Hindu supremacist political agenda. All of these goals have been accomplished by appropriating yoga.

Simply put, Modi has weaponized yoga to mask the political and institutional violence he has pushed against disadvantaged minorities in India. Yoga has been used as a tool in this process.

It was a spectacle of what I call om-washing, which is used to mask a radical agenda of ethno-nationalist state violence. He did that in front of world leaders and yoga followers on UN Yoga Day.

None of this should be confused with a genuine conviction to employ yoga as a means of constructing a world that is more just, unified, and liberated.

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What about peace on earth?

Insisting that ancient Indian culture “sees the world as one family,” Modi frequently alludes to the influence of yogic philosophy in his work to advance democracy and peace both within India’s borders and in collaboration with allies around the world. Democracy, on the other hand, is experiencing a precipitous collapse in Modi’s India.

Since Modi took power, there has been an increase in the number of attacks on Muslims, Christians, Dalits, and other oppressed minorities that are state-sponsored or carried out by vigilantes nationwide. Not only has Modi’s administration degraded the independent institutions of Indian democracy, notably the judiciary, but it has also legitimized Hindu nationalists, which has given them more confidence to attack marginalized groups.

On a global scale, he has increased military relationships with states such as Israel, France, and the United States of America, which are nations that are invested in the politics of Islamophobia and war-making. The fact that Modi promotes yoga as being conducive to democratic and peaceful ideas is a distraction from the fact that he is deeply invested in militarism and conflict.

What about climate change?

Moreover, Modi has put out the idea that adopting a yogic way of life is capable of reversing the debilitating effects of global warming and fostering environmental sustainability. Modi has announced India’s commitment to net zero emissions by the year 2070 while also urging everyday climate yogis to do their part by changing the behaviours that contribute to climate change. He has called for a broad campaign against climate change.

While it is true that yoga can be used to fight climate change, Prime Minister Modi’s continued investments in the fossil fuel industry and spending on the military indicate that his pledge to reduce emissions is an empty promise. This is especially true considering military emissions are routinely excluded from climate change agreements.

Climate scientists and environmental activists have claimed that to respond to the ever-threatening climate catastrophe effectively, a dramatic disengagement from a consumer-driven capitalist economy will be required. But Modi remains devoted to individualized solutions that make no significant changes in the economy’s structure and suit his ultimate purpose of pretending to support “green” policies while pursuing programmes that actively damage our planet. In other words, he hasn’t changed his position at all.

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Fighting so-called “terrorism.”

During his address to the United Nations in 2014, Modi spoke about the necessity for world leaders to work together to confront “terrorism and extremism.” Yet, Modi hides state-sanctioned militarism behind the Islamophobic narrative of the ‘War on Terror’ to avoid public scrutiny of his policies.

The semi-autonomous status that Jammu and Kashmir, India’s only state with a Muslim majority, had enjoyed ever since it became a part of a newly formed India in 1947 was taken away by the administration led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August of 2019. After that, a crackdown took place in which political activity was made illegal, lawmakers were placed under house arrest, and internet access was severely restricted, all while India deployed extra troops to one of the most militarized zones in the world.

Throughout this time, the Indian military has been sharing images on its website of its service members performing yoga positions. When this is compared to the violations of human rights that the Indian army is said to have committed in Kashmir, it becomes clear that Modi and his allies engage in om-washing to whitewash India’s bloody track record in Kashmir.

Considering that Modi’s yoga day performance was broadcast live in Times Square and on various social media platforms, thousands of people who do not hold any political beliefs also participated. After all, what could be the downside to doing yoga with Modi? No way doing yoga with him and thousands of other people constitute a vote of confidence in any political cause or candidate.

But I encourage those on the fence to recognize how participating in such events legitimizes Modi’s attempts at om-washing, which is this agenda of using yoga to conceal his Hindu supremacist ideology. In other words, I encourage those on the fence to recognize how participating in such events legitimizes Modi. It is time to reclaim yoga by challenging Modi’s appropriation of this ancient discipline. Reclaiming yoga begins with saying no to Modi.

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 Modi of India is criticized for his human rights record before visiting the US.

 Modi of India is criticized for his human rights record before visiting the US.

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As the two nations work to strengthen their ties, the prime minister of India will attend a state dinner at the

Despite criticism that the United States is doing nothing to stop abuses of human rights occurring in India under Modi’s right-wing government, the administration of President Joe Biden is preparing to throw a state banquet for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week.

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White House spokesman John Kirby stated that Modi’s visit to the US would confirm a “deep and close” friendship during a press conference on Tuesday. White House this week.

India would be a “vital strategic partner for the United States in the future decades,” Kirby said, adding that the visit “will enhance our two countries’ shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous and safe Indo-Pacific.”

Concerns about India’s human rights record and the Modi administration’s embrace of the far-right Hindu nationalism known as Hindutva, which opponents claim has turned the country’s minorities, particularly Muslims, into enemies, mainly were absent from Kirby’s remarks.

On both sides of the aisle, politicians in Washington, DC, have backed closer ties with India as the US aims to thwart China’s growth through partnerships with nations around Asia and the Pacific. For instance, Modi was invited by Democratic and Republican leaders to address Congress while he was there.

But, India’s record on civil rights and religious freedom has come under question for some Democratic politicians.

More than 70 US Senate and House of Representatives members signed a letter on Tuesday urging the Biden administration to discuss human rights issues with Modi.

The letter claims that there are alarming indications of a more miniature political landscape, a rise in religious intolerance, the targeting of journalists and civil society organizations, and tightening limitations on press freedoms and internet access in India.

It’s dishonorable that Modi was given a platform in the seat of government, she wrote. “It is intolerable that he has a lengthy history of violating human rights, doing anti-democratic activities, and persecuting Muslims and other religious minorities.”

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When questioned about these worries, Kirby said that Biden bringing up issues in conversations with national leaders was “commonplace” and that the administration’s foreign policy made human rights a “foundational part.”

Kirby downplayed the significance of China as well, saying that the trip was focused on the “burgeoning friendship” between the two nations rather than “sending a message to China.”

Yet, US-based organizations claim that Washington disregards persistent human rights breaches to pursue broader collaboration in domains like arms sales.

Rasheed Ahmed, executive director of the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), which has assisted in organizing several rallies during Modi’s visit, expressed worry that the Biden administration is “whitewashing everything going on in India.”

Ahmed, referring to earlier sanctions on the leader, claimed in a phone conversation with Al Jazeera that Modi “has gone from being barred from entering the US to having the red carpet rolled out.”

These penalties go back to 2005 when Modi was denied entry to the US by the State Department for failing to end anti-Muslim rioting in Gujarat while he was the state’s head of government there in 2002.

Until Modi took office as prime minister in 2014, this limitation was in place. Yet, a US State Department representative noted last month that there were growing dangers to religious freedom in India, including “specific attacks” on minorities and “open calls for the elimination of Muslims.” Several of those calls came from Modi’s own Bharatiya Janata Party executives (BJP). An anthropologist and specialist in South Asian politics named Mohamad Junaid spoke with Al Jazeera on the phone and said, “Authoritarianism in nations like Russia and China are well documented. India, however, has spared the same level of persistent scrutiny since it continues to pose as a democracy even as it approaches becoming a one-party state.

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Rahul Gandhi, the head of India’s main opposition, was found guilty in March for remarks derogatory to Modi. The action was sharply criticized as an attempt to prevent Gandhi from opposing Modi in the elections of 2024. In India, Modi and his party continue to enjoy high levels of support.

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But, observers claim that now that Modi and the BJP are firmly in power, Washington has primarily set aside these worries to strengthen relations as it seeks allies to restrict China.

Junaid further cited the plan to withdraw Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status in August 2019 as another illustration of the government’s rightward shift under Modi. Kashmir is the only territory in India with a majority of Muslims. According to Junaid, it was a step in line with the long-standing objectives of Hindu nationalists.

“There is no pretense of owing the Kashmiri people anything. According to him, journalists are imprisoned indefinitely, social media sites are shut down, and mass arrests without charges are common. “The US has mostly kept quiet.” Yet, according to Ahmed, executive director of the IAMC, things might be changing. He said the letter from hundreds of parliamentarians on Tuesday criticizing India’s human rights record was “heartening.”

Ahmed stated that he preferred seeing American lawmakers take more decisive action to address the problem.

It’s still being determined how far they’ll go, he added. The ability to adopt a position while formulating policy will be the actual test, according to the author.

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