Kerry blames Bush for Modi visa refusal: Ban under Obama for five years

Conveniently ignoring the plain fact that the Obama administration was in charge of the governance of the United States since January 2009, and that President Obama's State Department had the authority to reverse previous Bush administration's decision to revoke Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's US entry visa for well over five years, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Washington officials simultaneously blamed the Bush regime on July 31 for Modi visa refusal.

Obama's vice president Joe Biden was in India in July last year meeting Indian leaders but avoided meeting Gujarat Chief Minister Modi. a rising Indian politician to that country's leadership, and Kerry was Obama-Biden administration's secretary of state.

In perhaps the first explanation of the US denial of visa for Narendra Modi, the Obama Administration July 31 said the decision was taken by the "previous" government. "It's a very big deal. Different government, it's a different government now. Just like it is here. We will welcome Prime Minister Modi.

"He is going to get a welcome. Of course, he will get a visa. No question whatsoever. And we look forward to a terrific meeting with President Obama in September," Secretary of State John Kerry told NDTV. He was replying to a question whether the refusal of visa (by the Bush administration) was a mistake as the US government has done a complete turnaround now. Kerry said there was no gain in discussing the past.

"We are going forward. I don't spend my time going backward in politics or who made what decision. What I try to do is solve current issues and Penny (Commerce Secretary) and I are here not to look backward but to look forward." Modi was denied US visa after the 2002 post-Godhra riots under the provisions of a US law in connection with the killing of a large number of people under his watch as chief minister.

US Secretary of State Kerry completely ignores that he was chairman of the powerful US Senate Foreign Affairs Committee that recommend foreign policy initiatives to US administrations and that he became Obama-Biden administration's secretary of state in January 2013.

US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Delhi on Wednesday July 30 to hold the 5th Indo-US Strategic Dialogue. Kerry's visit is first high-level interaction at the political level after the new government came to power here.

This visit would lay the groundwork for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington in September to meet President Barack Obama.

"Secretary Kerry's visit underscores the importance of the US-India partnership, and will lay the groundwork for Prime Minister Modi's September visit to the United States," State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said.

Kerry visited 7, Race Course Road to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a day after he met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley. The two of them reportedly discussed bilateral as well as global issues of mutual interest to the countries. Notably, Kerry's is the first high-level contact of the US government with the Modi government.

In 2005, Modi applied for a diplomatic visa to travel to the United States for a conference sponsored by the Asian American Hotel Owner’s Association. David C. Mulford, US Ambassador to India at the time, issued a statement that rejected Modi’s visa application as he was “not coming for a purpose that qualified for a diplomatic visa.”

Additionally, the Department of State revoked Modi’s tourist/business visa, citing section 212 (a) (2) (g) in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which “makes any foreign government official who ‘was responsible for or directly carried out, at any time, particularly severe violations of religious freedom’ ineligible for a visa to the United States.” The provision was added to the INA in 1998, as a result of the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA); Modi remains the only person ever to have been banned under this clause.

The Obama administration for well over five years maintained the Bush visa decision.

Following is the statement issued by David C. Mulford, U.S. Ambassador to India on 21 March 2005 on US Government decision to revoke Mr. Modi's US entry visa:

(Begin Text) The Chief Minister of Gujarat state, Mr. Narendra Modi, applied for a diplomatic visa to visit the United States. On March 18, 2005, the United States Department of State denied Mr. Modi this visa under section 214 (b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act because he was not coming for a purpose that qualified for a diplomatic visa.

Mr. Modi's existing tourist/business visa was also revoked under section 212 (a) (2) (g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Section 212 (a) (2) (g) makes any foreign government official who "was responsible for or directly carried out, at any time, particularly severe violations of religious freedom" ineligible for a visa to the United States.

The Ministry of External Affairs requested that the Department of State review the decision to revoke his tourist/business visa. Upon review, the State Department re-affirmed the original decision.

This decision applies to Mr. Narendra Modi only. It is based on the fact that, as head of the State government in Gujarat between February 2002 and May 2002, he was responsible for the performance of state institutions at that time. The State Department's detailed views on this matter are included in its annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices and the International Religious Freedom Report. Both reports document the violence in Gujarat from February 2002 to May 2002 and cite the Indian National Human Rights Commission report, which states there was "a comprehensive failure on the part of the state government to control the persistent violation of rights of life, liberty, equality, and dignity of the people of the state." (End Text)

The issue here is that the Obama administration could have reversed the Bush state department decision as it was in governance for five years when it suddenly realized to award Mr. Modi 'open hand welcome'; that John Kerry was Obama's secretary of state since January 2013 and previously was chairman of the US Senate foreign affairs committee; Obama's vice president Joe Biden did not find important to meet Mr. Mody, then chief minister of Gujarat, when he undertook a four-day official tour in India in July last year.
And now blames the previous Bush administration for its decision to revoke his visa under very flimsy ground.

Mr. Modi was cleared in India's judicial process of any wrong-doing in the 2002 Gujarat riots and was never found guilty of any culpability.

Knowing full well, Obama administration failed to lift the US entry visa ban on Mr. Modi, and John Kerry, who became Obama's secretary of state never persuaded the White House to lift the ban.

- Asian Tribune –