INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
WASHINGTON: The Biden White House has condemned the purported online harassment and intimidation of Wall Street Journal reporter Sabrina
Siddiqui whose question to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a press conference last week on the alleged discrimination against religious
minorities in India has triggered fury among his supporters, who support with his contention that such reports are motivated and
We absolutely condemn any harassment of journalists anywhere under any circumstances." White House spokesperson John Kirby said in response
to a question, even as cabinet ministers in India joined right wing trolls in attacking former President Barack Obama, who also appeared to
criticize the prime minister on the issue
"It's antithetical to the very principles of democracy that were on display last week during the state visit," Kirby added, as both Obama
and Siddique were attacked and questioned about their lack of concern about discrimination against Hindu minorities in other countries, and
the US' own record in the matter of human rights and civil liberties
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre joined the smackdown, condemning "any efforts of intimidation or harassment of a journalist
or any journalist that is just trying to do their job" as the spat ignited social media exchanges over the weekend
The Wall Street Journal also defended Siddiqui, saying she is a respected journalist known for her integrity and unbiased reporting
Pro-BJP elements continued to attack Siddique, Obama, and the US media's approach to the issue, saying calling out their "hidden agenda and
"This is also freedom of speech
Just as journalists have right to ask questions, citizens also have the right to call out biased reporting
Period! Go home, crybabies, if you cannot deal with this," read one of hundreds of tweets that supported the prime minister's contention
that since India is a democracy and is widely accepted as such, there is no scope for discrimination against any minorities
Modi also suggested at the press conference that since the government was constitutionally secular, it is duty-bound to deliver services to
all people regardless of religion, caste etc and does so, a response critics said circumvented private, institutional, and societal
discrimination they say has become more prevalent under the Modi government.The journalist at the center of the storm, trolled as a
"Pakistani Islamist," meanwhile posted a cryptic tweet with a photograph of her cheering for the Indian cricket team along with father,
Sometimes identities are more complex than they seem."Former President Obama, who actually reversed the administration's decision to ban
Modi's entry to the United States and welcomed him to the White House following his (Modi's) election in 2014, has not responded to sharp
criticism from the Prime Minister's cabinet colleagues, notably finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, who
questioned his bombing of Muslim countries
Obama and Modi appeared to have developed a personal rapport towards the end of the former's term as President, to the extent of addressing
each other as "Barack" and "Narendra." But in an interview to Christian Amanpour on the eve of Modi's meeting with Biden, Obama said if he
name Hussein to highlight his Muslim heritage and generated the hashtag #ObamaDon'tPreach to troll him
Obama however is a practising Christian; he also sometimes carries a figurine of Hanuman in his pocket
US officials maintain that is perfectly legitimate, even desirable, for both countries to critique each other's treatment of minorities for
the betterment of both societies
In fact, ahead of Modi's visit, the White House said it would raise its concerns on the matter without lecturing Modi
Ultimately, the question of where politics and the question of democratic institutions go in India is going to be determined within India by
confirmed that the matter featured in the Biden-Modi talks
state, when it comes to human rights
He has done that throughout the past two years and through his career as a vice president and certainly as a senator
Secretary Karine Jean Pierre said
WatchWhite House condemns harassment of WSJ reporter Sabrina Siddiqui who questioned PM Modi on human rights
