Trump, Modi avoid discussing minority rights in meeting | The Business Standard
Skip to main content
  • Latest
  • Economy
    • Banking
    • Stocks
    • Industry
    • Analysis
    • Bazaar
    • RMG
    • Corporates
    • Aviation
  • Videos
    • TBS Today
    • TBS Stories
    • TBS World
    • News of the day
    • TBS Programs
    • Podcast
    • Editor's Pick
  • World+Biz
  • Features
    • Panorama
    • The Big Picture
    • Pursuit
    • Habitat
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Mode
    • Tech
    • Explorer
    • Brands
    • In Focus
    • Book Review
    • Earth
    • Food
    • Luxury
    • Wheels
  • More
    • Sports
    • TBS Graduates
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • Gallery
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Magazine
    • Climate Change
    • Health
    • Cartoons
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard

Saturday
June 14, 2025

Sign In
Subscribe
  • Latest
  • Economy
    • Banking
    • Stocks
    • Industry
    • Analysis
    • Bazaar
    • RMG
    • Corporates
    • Aviation
  • Videos
    • TBS Today
    • TBS Stories
    • TBS World
    • News of the day
    • TBS Programs
    • Podcast
    • Editor's Pick
  • World+Biz
  • Features
    • Panorama
    • The Big Picture
    • Pursuit
    • Habitat
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Mode
    • Tech
    • Explorer
    • Brands
    • In Focus
    • Book Review
    • Earth
    • Food
    • Luxury
    • Wheels
  • More
    • Sports
    • TBS Graduates
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • Gallery
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Magazine
    • Climate Change
    • Health
    • Cartoons
  • বাংলা
SATURDAY, JUNE 14, 2025
Trump, Modi avoid discussing minority rights in meeting

World+Biz

Reuters
14 February, 2025, 10:00 am
Last modified: 14 February, 2025, 10:06 am

Related News

  • Trump threatens sanctions against buyers of Iranian oil after US-Iran nuclear talks are postponed
  • Trump struggles to explain weak economic data as he reaches 100-day mark
  • US Congress Republicans seek $27 billion for Golden Dome in Trump tax bill
  • Trump poised to offer Saudi Arabia over $100 billion arms package, sources say
  • India calls all-party meet, summons top Pakistani diplomat after Kashmir attack on tourists

Trump, Modi avoid discussing minority rights in meeting

While former President Joe Biden also maintained strong India ties, his top diplomat Antony Blinken occasionally condemned minority abuses

Reuters
14 February, 2025, 10:00 am
Last modified: 14 February, 2025, 10:06 am
US President Donald Trump holds a joint press conference with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House in Washington, DC, US, 13 February 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
US President Donald Trump holds a joint press conference with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House in Washington, DC, US, 13 February 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

US President Donald Trump and India's Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed issues ranging from weapons sales to trade when they met in Washington on Thursday but in public remarks avoided the sensitive subjects of human rights and minority abuses.

Concerns over India's human rights track record have taken a bipartisan backseat in Washington in recent years as India gained clout by boosting its US trade and emerging as a partner in countering China, experts say, noting Trump's second presidency will continue that trend.

The leaders' formal remarks as they met at the White House and then spoke at a joint press conference made no mention of rights issues, and neither did their online statements.

The Business Standard Google News Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel

"Trump is unlikely to take a position on rights issues in India. And that's largely because his foreign policy is staunchly interests-based, affording little space for values-based considerations such as human rights abroad," said Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center think-tank.

While former President Joe Biden also maintained strong India ties, his top diplomat Antony Blinken occasionally condemned minority abuses.

State Department reports on human rights and religious freedom have noted abuses in India in recent years. New Delhi calls them "deeply biased."

SIMILAR PERSONALITIES

Chietigj Bajpaee, senior research fellow at the Chatham House think-tank, called Modi and Trump "strongman" leaders with shared perceptions. Kugelman said their similarities, including on their approach to human rights, strengthen their chemistry.

Rights groups have over the years criticized both Trump and Modi's records.

Trump has stopped US engagement with the UN Human Rights Council and his plan to take over Gaza is called a proposal of ethnic cleansing by rights experts. He has also dismantled US diversity, equity and inclusion programs aimed at uplifting marginalized groups.

Trump says he is advancing US interests and calls DEI discriminatory.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch fault Modi's government over its treatment of minorities.

They point to rising hate speeches, a religion-based citizenship law the UN calls "fundamentally discriminatory," anti-conversion legislation that challenge freedom of belief, the removal of Muslim-majority Kashmir's special status and the demolition of properties owned by Muslims.

Modi denies discrimination and says his policies, like food subsidy schemes and electrification drives, benefit everyone.

Immigration was a topic of discussion on Thursday. Trump has prioritized handling illegal immigration while India advocates for US visas for skilled professionals. Indians account for the bulk of H-1B visas, which Trump backs.

In the press conference on Thursday, Modi urged dialogue to eradicate human trafficking that he blamed for illegal immigration. He said India was "fully prepared" to take back any verified Indian who was in the US illegally.

Separately, since 2023, India's alleged targeting of Sikh separatists has emerged as a wrinkle in US-India ties, with Washington charging an ex-Indian intelligence officer in a foiled US plot.

Kugelman noted that given his nationalist politics, "it's hard to imagine Trump pushing for (the case) to be halted."

India labels Sikh separatists, including in the US, as security threats. When asked, Trump did not comment directly but said the US and India worked together on crime, citing the approval of the extradition to India of a man accused of involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed dozens.

 

Top News

Narendra Modi / Donal Trump

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • Missiles launched from Iran are intercepted as seen from Tel Aviv. REUTERS/Jamal Awad
    Iran fires missiles at Israel in response to attacks; Trump says it's not too late for nuclear deal
  • Logo of National Citizen Party (NCP)
    People won't accept election date before July Charter is implemented: NCP on Yunus-Tarique meeting
  • Yunus-Tarique meeting: Jamaat says outcome positive for democracy, IAB says dispelled uncertainty from politics
    Yunus-Tarique meeting: Jamaat says outcome positive for democracy, IAB says dispelled uncertainty from politics

MOST VIEWED

  • Wreckage of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner showing part of its registration "VT-ANB" in Ahmedabad, India, June 12, 2025. REUTERS/Amit Dave
    Air India Dreamliner crashes into Ahmedabad college hostel, kills over 290
  • File Photo of Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus: UNB
    Prof Yunus to receive Harmony Award from King Charles today
  • Energy adviser Fouzul Kabir Khan with other government officials during a visit to Sylhet gas field on 13 June 2025. Photo: TBS
    I would disconnect gas supply to every home in Dhaka if I could: Energy adviser
  • Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H Mansur. TBS Sketch
    Bangladesh mulls settlements with tycoons over offshore wealth: BB governor tells FT
  • UCB declares no dividend for 2024 to comply with regulatory requirement
    UCB declares no dividend for 2024 to comply with regulatory requirement
  • UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus
    Disclosure of unconfirmed Yunus-Starmer meeting shows ‘diplomatic imprudence’: Analysts

Related News

  • Trump threatens sanctions against buyers of Iranian oil after US-Iran nuclear talks are postponed
  • Trump struggles to explain weak economic data as he reaches 100-day mark
  • US Congress Republicans seek $27 billion for Golden Dome in Trump tax bill
  • Trump poised to offer Saudi Arabia over $100 billion arms package, sources say
  • India calls all-party meet, summons top Pakistani diplomat after Kashmir attack on tourists

Features

Photos: Collected

Kurtis that make a great office wear

11h | Mode
Among pet birds in the country, lovebirds are the most common, and they are also the most numerous in the haat. Photo: Junayet Rashel

Where feathers meet fortune: How a small pigeon stall became Dhaka’s premiere bird market

2d | Panorama
Illustration: Duniya Jahan/ TBS

Forget Katy Perry, here’s Bangladesh’s Ruthba Yasmin shooting for the moon

3d | Features
File photo of Eid holidaymakers returning to the capital from their country homes/Rajib Dhar

Dhaka: The city we never want to return to, but always do

4d | Features

More Videos from TBS

No Cash in ATMs: System Glitch or Something Deeper?

No Cash in ATMs: System Glitch or Something Deeper?

5h | TBS Today
Iran-Israel military power; who is ahead?

Iran-Israel military power; who is ahead?

7h | TBS World
Did the possibility of an Iran nuclear deal set back after the attack?

Did the possibility of an Iran nuclear deal set back after the attack?

9h | TBS World
IRGC chief Major General Hossein Salami killed in Israeli strike

IRGC chief Major General Hossein Salami killed in Israeli strike

10h | TBS World
EMAIL US
contact@tbsnews.net
FOLLOW US
WHATSAPP
+880 1847416158
The Business Standard
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Sitemap
  • Advertisement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
Copyright © 2025
The Business Standard All rights reserved
Technical Partner: RSI Lab

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - oped.tbs@gmail.com

For advertisement- sales@tbsnews.net