White House distances itself from Obama’s feedback on India twice in 3 days

Every week after former US president Barack Obama made extremely controversial feedback on India throughout PM Modi’s US go to, the White House has distanced itself from the feedback. In a press briefing and a media interview, the White House officers refused to touch upon Obama’s feedback, terming them the opinions of the personal citizen.

During a State Department press briefing on 26 June, a journalist had requested that whereas the president (Obama) had remarked about Muslims and different minorities India, the joint assertion issued after the assembly between PM Modi and President Biden didn’t point out it. To it, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller replied that they recurrently elevate issues about human rights in our conversations with Indian officers. He identified that Biden had spoken himself within the joint press convention that he held with Prime Minister Modi.

The spokesperson gave the impression to be confused concerning the query because the journalist talked about solely the ‘president’, and he assumed it was about Biden. Therefore, one other journalist clarified that the query was former President Obama, including that there was fairly a little bit of response in India to that. The journalist then added Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma’s response to Obama’s feedback, saying, “there was a social media post by the chief minister of the state of Assam, who is an ally of Prime Minister Modi, using quite insulting language about former-President Obama.  Is that something that the United States wants to comment on.”

However, the State Department spokesperson refused to touch upon it, replying with, “No, no, I don’t think so.”

In an interview with CNN, Obama had mentioned that President Biden ought to point out the “protection of Muslim minority in a majority Hindu India” in his assembly with PM Modi. He had added that had he met PM Modi, he would have instructed him, “if you do not protect the rights of minorities, then there is a strong possibility that India at some point starts pulling apart…That would be contrary to the interests of India.”

Obama’s feedback have been met with sturdy objections in India, with a number of high BJP leaders responding to it, and even reminding how giant variety of Muslim international locations have been attacked and bombed by US throughout Obama’s regime.

However, opposition and left-liberals have been having a discipline day, celebrating feedback of Obama in opposition to India. When The Wire journalist tried to taunt the Assam govt over the difficulty by suggesting that Assam police ought to go to DC to arrest Barrack, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma commented there are a lot of enemies in India who might be handled first earlier than going to international international locations. He mentioned, “There are many Hussain Obama in India itself. We should prioritize taking care of them before considering going to Washington. The Assam police will act according to our own priorities.”

Expectedly, these feedback of the senior BJP chief and CM have been broadly criticised by the left-liberal ecosystem, together with many international journalists. However, from the feedback of the state division spokesperson, it’s clear that they don’t discover it essential to react to the feedback of the Assam CM.

After that, Hindustan Times talked to a senior administrative official of the White House on the difficulty, who utterly distanced the administration from Obama’s feedback. The official mentioned that Obama made the feedback on his personal as a personal citizen, and there was coordination with the White House. When requested if the hypothesis of US taking part in “good cop-bad cop” with the other stands taken by the present and former presidents, the official mentioned that they’ve monumental regard for Obama, “But he is a private citizen, and there was no coordination on what he said.”

The official added that each related concern was raised throughout Modi-Biden assembly, saying that Biden’s type is to do it with nice dignity, to deal with companions with respect and to interact within the spirit of an in depth partnership. He mentioned that similar to Biden had points to lift, Modi additionally had few points that he needed to lift.

“I can tell you that the depth of their relationship allowed them to talk about issues respectfully and in a way that I’m confident that the other heard it and heard it in a spirit of respect,” the official mentioned.

The official nonetheless reiterated its assist for WSJ reporter Sabrina Siddiqui who requested a controversial query to PM Modi in Washington DC. “We have made very clear that we believe free and open press is important. We frankly do not support any kind of online harassment. And indeed it concerns us greatly,” he mentioned.

It is notable that White House has come out strongly in assist of Sabrina Siddiqui after she was criticised for her propaganda-laden query to Modi.

Sabrina had requested what steps PM Modi and his authorities are prepared to take to guard the rights of Muslims and different minorities and to uphold free speech. In response, PM Modi had given a befitting reply by saying that India is a democracy, and each India and America have democracy of their DNA. “Democracy is our spirit, democracy flows in our veins. We live in a democracy and our ancestors have put that into words in the shape of the Constitution and our government runs on the basis of the Constitution which is based on the basic democratic values,” he had mentioned, making it clear that each citizen is handled equally in India, no matter faith.

After that, the reporter was criticised in India because it was evident that it was not a query, however an try to unfold the propaganda that Muslims are beneath assault in India. But the White House has are available in her assist, asserting that the administration helps freedom of the press. On 26 June, NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby and Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre condemned the “harassment” of Wall Street Journal’s Sabrina Siddiqui.

However, there was no point out of the query she requested. Similarly, the US administration has distanced itself from the feedback of ex-president Obama, that are backed by the identical propaganda, that Muslims are being focused in India beneath the Narendra Modi authorities. While the state division refused to touch upon his remarks, the highest official mentioned that these have been his private remarks and White House has nothing to do with them.

This makes it clear that the White House doesn’t do or say something that may hamper the diplomatic relations with India.