Washington: Nancy Powell, the US ambassador to India, plans to meet BJP candidate for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an official said on Monday, signalling a turnaround after years of shunning him over the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Ambassador Powell's meeting with Mr Modi would put the United States in line with European nations, which have already ended a boycott of Mr Modi, amid growing indications that he could take the helm of the world's largest democracy later this year.
A US State Department official confirmed the appointment between Mr Modi and Ms Powell, without specifying a date.
"This is part of our concentrated outreach to senior political and business leaders which began in November to highlight the US-India relationship," the official said on condition of anonymity.
Human rights groups and political rivals allege that Mr Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat, turned a blind eye to riots in 2002 that killed up to 2,000 people, most of them Muslims. Mr Modi has denied wrongdoing and a Supreme Court monitored investigation has recently cleared him of charges of complicity. But one of his former ministers was jailed for life for instigating the killing of 97 Muslims during the riots.
The United States, under domestic laws related to human rights, in 2005 revoked Mr Modi's visa saying he was "responsible for the (lack of) performance of state institutions" during the riots.
A congressional aide said that a meeting with Ms Powell would send a signal of US openness on issuing a visa -- an issue on which the United States has little way of changing course unless Mr Modi again applies to travel to the United States.
"A meeting with the ambassador could be a way of signaling, 'You'll get a visa,' without having to say it, which she can't," the aide told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The United States and India have had a growing relationship since estrangement in the Cold War, with most US lawmakers supportive of ties with New Delhi. But Mr Modi has faced opposition from an unlikely mix of left-leaning members of the US Congress active on human rights and conservatives concerned over the status of evangelical Christians.
Mr Modi has sought to portray himself as a business-savvy leader who can champion India's economy and tackle corruption after a decade of rule by the left-leaning Congress party.
US ambassador Nancy Powell to meet Narendra Modi | NDTV.com
In U-turn, US ambassador Nancy Powell to meet Narendra Modi - The Times of India
US surrenders before Narendra Modi juggernaut, to end boycott?
Ambassador Powell's meeting with Mr Modi would put the United States in line with European nations, which have already ended a boycott of Mr Modi, amid growing indications that he could take the helm of the world's largest democracy later this year.
A US State Department official confirmed the appointment between Mr Modi and Ms Powell, without specifying a date.
"This is part of our concentrated outreach to senior political and business leaders which began in November to highlight the US-India relationship," the official said on condition of anonymity.
Human rights groups and political rivals allege that Mr Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat, turned a blind eye to riots in 2002 that killed up to 2,000 people, most of them Muslims. Mr Modi has denied wrongdoing and a Supreme Court monitored investigation has recently cleared him of charges of complicity. But one of his former ministers was jailed for life for instigating the killing of 97 Muslims during the riots.
The United States, under domestic laws related to human rights, in 2005 revoked Mr Modi's visa saying he was "responsible for the (lack of) performance of state institutions" during the riots.
A congressional aide said that a meeting with Ms Powell would send a signal of US openness on issuing a visa -- an issue on which the United States has little way of changing course unless Mr Modi again applies to travel to the United States.
"A meeting with the ambassador could be a way of signaling, 'You'll get a visa,' without having to say it, which she can't," the aide told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The United States and India have had a growing relationship since estrangement in the Cold War, with most US lawmakers supportive of ties with New Delhi. But Mr Modi has faced opposition from an unlikely mix of left-leaning members of the US Congress active on human rights and conservatives concerned over the status of evangelical Christians.
Mr Modi has sought to portray himself as a business-savvy leader who can champion India's economy and tackle corruption after a decade of rule by the left-leaning Congress party.
US ambassador Nancy Powell to meet Narendra Modi | NDTV.com
In U-turn, US ambassador Nancy Powell to meet Narendra Modi - The Times of India
US surrenders before Narendra Modi juggernaut, to end boycott?
