Modi Hails U.S. Ties in Congress Speech .. WSJ

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Modi Hails U.S. Ties in Congress Speech

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, waved as he arrived to speak at a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress on Wednesday
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Indian prime minister
wins upbeat reception
as two countries
deepen partnership
BY WILLIAM MAULDIN

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a vision of strong defense and counterterrorism ties with the U.S., detailing his views in a warm address to American lawmakers that appeared geared toward maintaining close relations with Washington in future U.S. administrations. “Today our relationship has overcome the hesitations of history,” Mr. Modi said. “In every sector of India’s forward march, I see the U.S. as an indispensable partner.” Washington has worked
carefully for years to advance defense ties with New Delhi as China grows increasingly assertive in Asia. Such strategic cooperation accelerated in the latter part of the Obama administration after Mr. Modi
was elected prime minister in 2014. While he didn’t mention China directly, Mr. Modi said, “In Asia, the absence of an agreed security architecture creates uncertainty.” A strong India-U.S. partnership can “help ensure security of the sea lanes of commerce and freedom of navigation on seas,” he said.

Mr. Modi won loud applause with allusions to American figures ranging from Martin Luther King Jr. and Walt
Whitman to Abraham Lincoln, and the prime minister even joked about the partisan split of the lawmakers before him. “I am informed that the working of the U.S. Congress is harmonious,” Mr. Modi quipped, before taking an analogous swipe at his own parliament, especially the upper house, which has impeded some of his administration’s policy goals. Mr. Modi, frequently praised by the U.S. business community for his attempts to loosen restrictions on commerce, also dwelled on the importance of better economic exchanges, especially in technology and civilian nuclear power—a focus of his meeting Tuesday with President Barack
Obama. Mr. Modi emphasized the ties Indians have with relatives in the U.S., triggering a standing ovation.
But military cooperation and counterterrorism issues appeared to be front and center for some lawmakers.
“In all my years in Congress, I recall only a select few countries that rose so quickly to such an exalted esteem,” said Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the Republican who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, in an op-ed published by CNN. Mr. Modi praised India’s purchases of billions of dollars
of American materiel, new joint military exercises and joint work on counterterrorism and Afghanistan.
In a stern voice, he singled out groups operating in South Asia that New Delhi says are backed by Pakistan, India’s major adversary. “Terrorism must be delegitimized,” he said. “Although its shadow is spreading across the world, it is incubated in India’s neighborhood.”
The warm reception capped a big turnaround for Mr. Modi, who once was banned from
entering the U.S. under a little- known law passed by Congress.
For years, some members of Congress have criticized Mr. Modi’s previous role as leader of the state of
Gujarat during a religious riot in which many Muslims were killed. On Wednesday, Mr. Modi made passing reference to “equal respect for all faiths” and more generally discussed the similarities that underlie
the two biggest democracies. Still, some lawmakers said more work has to be done.
A congressional commission on human rights on Tuesday discussed recent attacks on Christian and Muslim minorities in India, and the co-chairman of the committee, Rep. Joe Pitts (R., Pa.), cited an “array of human-rights concerns that should give us pause.” Human-rights leaders in the U.S. say Mr. Modi hasn’t put
enough pressure on discriminatory violence linked to members of his party. But the prime minister’s
supporters say he isn’t responsible for Hindu extremists drawn to his political movement. “Certainly you’ll see
pockets of folks that are more extreme and more radical in India,” said Rep. Ami Bera, a California Democrat whose family came from Gujarat. Mr. Bera said that even in the U.S. some politicians have strong views on religion, including Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump, who has called for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the U.S.

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