Biden and Modi cheer booming economic ties in visit that also reckoned with India’s record on rights

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Thursday pronounced the U.S.-India relationship never stronger and rolled out new business deals with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as human rights activists and American lawmakers questioned the administration’s decision to honor the leader with a pomp-filled state visit. In a joint news conference with Modi, Biden called the relationship between the U.S. and India among the most consequential in the world and “more dynamic than at any time in history.” He underscored how two of the world’s most powerful democracies were cooperating on issues such as the climate, health care and space, saying that the U.S-India economic relationship was “booming.” But Modi bristled at a reporter’s question about his country’s commitment to democratic values as the country has seen an erosion of religious, political and press freedoms under his watch. We live democracy and our ancestors have actually put words to this concept.” He said India has “proved that democracies can deliver and when I say deliver, this is regardless of class, creed, religion, gender.” Yet Modi has faced criticism over legislation amending the country’s citizenship law that fast-tracks naturalization for some migrants but excludes Muslims, a rise in violence against Muslims and other religious minorities by Hindu nationalists, and the recent conviction of India’s top opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi, for mocking Modi’s surname. During their Oval Office meeting, Biden said, he and Modi had a “good discussion about democratic values” while Modi said “there’s absolutely no space for discrimination” when pressed about his own commitment on human rights. Modi, the son of a tea seller who rose to be India’s premier, also recalled that the first time he visited the White House was three decades ago as a “common man.” “I have come here many times but today for the first time, the doors of the White House have been opened for the Indian American community in such large numbers,” Modi said to an estimated crowd of 7,000.