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Indian Americans will rally in America to reverse American Visa decision and bring Modi to USA
In a stinging snub to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the United States on Friday denied him a diplomatic visa and revoked his tourist/business visa under a law that bars such a privilege to anyone who carries out severe violations of religious freedom.
Modi was scheduled to address the Asian-American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) in Fort Lauderade, Florida, a public meeting in New York and meet business leaders.
But the issue does not stop here. The influential Indian American lobby will try their best to reverse the decision to bring Modi to USA. While pressure to deny visa may have come from Musharraf regime and silent support from Sonia Gandhi regime, Indian Americans in US will try to convince the US State Department, Dr. Rice and even President Bush to reverse the decision immediately.
According to media release, BJP was upset at the decision. The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday slammed the United States for not allowing its chief minister in Gujarat Narendra Modi to enter the country.
The BJP said the action was ''''unwarranted'''' and had caused ''''insult'''' to the entire nation.
Modi has been denied diplomatic visa and his tourist/business visa already granted has also been revoked as per the US Immigration and Nationality Act.
The Act prohibits ''''any government official who was responsible for, or directly carried out, at any time, particularly severe violations of religious freedom'''' from traveling to that country.
"We do not need lessons in religious freedom from anyone in the world, including the US," Bharatiya Janata Party Vice-President and party spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.
He said the denial of visa to the elected head of a state government was an ''''insult to the entire nation''''. The whole world knows about India's democracy and its pluralistic culture, he told rediff.com. Another BJP leader said if religious intolerance was the criteria, the US should ban the entry of Chinese leaders. Now, the issue is likely to snowball into a political controversy, with Naqvi saying the government should disclose if it knew such a step was going to be taken. "The BJP condemns it. The government should lodge an official complaint with the Americans," he said.
Senior BJP leader and former external affairs minister Yashwant Sinha said the Government of India should protest against the US decision.
But apparently Sonia Gandhi and her Government were happy at the decision.
Gujarat Congress on Friday said that Chief Minister Narendra Modi's "hand in Gujarat riots" and his "tainted" image following the post-Godhra violence resulted in the denial of visa by the United States to him. "Modi is the Chief Minister of Gujarat and he represents the entire cross-section of the state. People the worldover know that he has been involved in human rights violation by orchestrating the Gujarat riots of 2002," Leader of Opposition and Congress leader in state assembly, Arjun Modhvadia told the agency in Ahmedabad. "The denial of visa is the direct fallout of his tainted image," Modhvadia said. "Riot cases registered against his government have also been responsible for the denial of the visa," he added.
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