Sanders terms Indian crackdown on Kashmiris, Muslims unacceptable

Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders, while backing Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal’s criticism of New Delhi’s policies, has termed Indian crackdown on Kashmiris and Muslims as unacceptable.

Senator Sanders was reacting to Indian foreign minister’s cancellation of a meeting with House Foreign Affairs Committee over objections to Jayapal’s being on the U.S. panel for the meeting.

India’s external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar during his visit to Washington had sought to exclude Jayapal from the meeting. When Committee Chairman Eliot Engel refused to accept the demand, the Indian official canceled the meeting.

Besides being an outspoken critic of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Government’s repression in Kashmir, Jayapal, who is of Indian descent, has also moved a resolution in the House.

The resolution asks India to end restrictions on communications and respect human rights in the disputed Kashmir region – which has been under a strict clampdown since August 5 when New Delhi revoked its autonomous status.

The BJP Government later declared Kashmir to be part of Indian Union. India has also faced criticism and protests over its move to grant citizenship to people on the basis of religious affiliations through Citizenship Amendment Act, which excludes Muslims.

In his reaction, Democratic presidential hopeful Sanders said shutting out American lawmakers for their stand in support of human rights is something that is expected of authoritarian regimes.

“Shutting out U.S. lawmakers who are standing up for human rights is what we expect from authoritarian regimes—not the government of India. @RepJayapal is right. She must not be excluded for being outspoken about the unacceptable crackdown on Kashmiris and Muslims,” he wrote in a Twitter post.

The Indian Embassy has not commented on cancellation of the meeting.

Jayapal, earlier, lambasted Indian minister’s decision to call off the meeting with Congressional leaders.

“This only furthers the idea that the Indian government isn’t willing to listen to any dissent at all,” Jayapal told The Washington Post. 

“The seriousness of this moment should’ve been a reason for a conversation, not dictating who’s in the meeting, which seems very petty,” she added.

Another Democratic presidential candidate, Elizabeth Warren castigated the Indian effort to silence Congresswoman Jayapal as deeply troubling.

“Efforts to silence @PramilaJayapal are deeply troubling. The U.S. and India have an important partnership—but our partnership can only succeed if it is rooted in honest dialogue and shared respect for religious pluralism, democracy, and human rights,” she said in a tweet.

Democratic Senator Kamila Haris also weighed on the issue, saying no foreign government should dictate the composition of Congressional delegations. Members of Congress emphasized honest discussions in U.S.-India relations.

During their visit, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar held a meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, calling the U.S.-India relations a global partnership for principles, peace and prosperity.

Meanwhile, reports say eight people have been killed in India as secular forces have joined university students in ongoing protests against Citizenship Amendment Act.

Iftikhar Ali contributed to this report from New York