New Delhi: Former US President Barack Obama emphasized the importance of addressing concerns about Indian democracy during diplomatic discussions between US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, Obama stated, "Part of my argument would be that if you do not protect the rights of ethnic minorities in India, then there is a strong possibility India at some point starts pulling apart. And we've seen what happens when you start getting [into] those kinds of large internal conflicts."
Despite acknowledging his collaboration with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on climate change and other areas, Obama acknowledged the need to address democratic issues as well. “The protection of the Muslim minority in a Hindu majority India is worth mentioning. If I had a conversation with PM Modi, who I know well, part of my argument would be that if you don’t protect the rights of ethnic minorities in India, there is a strong possibility that India at some point starts pulling apart. That would be contrary to the interests of India,” Obama said.
He further acknowledged the complexity of dealing with "anti-democratic" leaders as part of the American presidency. Obama explained, "Look, it's complicated. The president of the United States has a lot of equities. And when I was president, I would deal with figures in some cases who were allies, who, you know, if you pressed me in private, do they run their governments and their political parties in ways that I would say are ideally democratic? I'd have to say no."
While recognizing the importance of national security and economic interests, Obama believed it was appropriate for the US president to uphold principles and challenge troubling trends when possible. He stated, "I do think that it is appropriate for the president of the United States, where he or she can, to uphold those principles and to challenge – whether behind closed doors or in public – trends that are troubling. And so I'm less concerned about labels than I'm concerned about specific practices."
Obama's remarks came before the meeting between Prime Minister Modi and US President Joe Biden, who hosted a private dinner for him at the White House. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan indicated that while Biden would address concerns about democratic backsliding and attacks on minorities in India, he would not lecture Modi on the subject.
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