US signals greater acceptance for Modi Ready To Put Behind 2002 Riots Issue

Washington:The antagonistic official US view of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi is gradually being tempered, seemingly in the light of his frontrunner status to lead India. The subtle changes come amid continuing efforts by his expatriate fan base to exculpate him for the 2002 riots. 

    US officials, some lawmakers, and the country's corporate community at large appear keen to put behind the stigma 
associated with the controversial politician. They have signalled they are keen to put the 2002 issue behind, a message that appears to stem from the perception that the UPA government's fortunes are in decline and that of Modi are on the upswing.
    Arecent Goldman Sachs report titled "Modi-fying our view: raise India to Marketweight" expressing bullish sentiment on India at the prospect of the Gujarat CM becoming PM seems has accelerated efforts to resurrect Modi's reputation. The Goldman Sachs report, which has caused heartburn in the UPA, isn't the first to speculate on these lines. 
American lawmakers and policy planners have been primed over the past year for the return of the BJP to power at the Centre, with Modi possibly at the helm as Prime Minister, following what US analysts say is a "precipitous" decline in the Congress party's standing. 
    A September 1, 2012, report by the US Congressional Research Service (CRS), a bipartisan and independent research wing of the US Congress that provides briefs for American lawmakers, has already gone where Goldman Sachs is now treading: boldly projecting a BJP resurgence. It has also forewarned Washington about the possible elevation to the Prime Minister office of Narendra Modi, who was denied a US visa in 2005 for his alleged complicity in the 2002 riots. 
    "Although still in some disorder in 2011, there are signs that the BJP has made changes necessary to be a formidable challenger in scheduled 2014 polls. These include a more effective branding of the party as one focused on development and good governance rather than emotive, Hindutva-related issues," the report noted. 
    "Among the party's likely candidates for the prime ministership in future elections is Gujarat CM Narendra Modi, who has overseen impressive development successes in his state, but who is also dogged by controversy over his alleged complicity in lethal anti-Muslim rioting there in 2002," the report noted in a surprising projection, before Modi was officials declared PM candidate. It said Modi has in the past been denied a US visa under an American law barring entry for foreign government officials found to be complicit in severe violations of religious freedom. 
    That visa denial, US officials are now suggesting, will not apply if Modi indeed becomes PM. Dismissing visa as a non-issue, one US official was quoted telling PTI this week that it was largely a creation of the Indian media and not at all an issue in the US government. 
    "I think the US had a very strong relationship with the previous Indian government when it was under BJP leadership," the official said. The official explained "there is not a lot of angst about him (Modi)" in the US government, but the administration has decided to maintain the status quo... because it might be seen as an interference in India's domestic politics, with various political parties seeking to make capital out of any decision in the US. 
    But US lawmakers are not constrained by such perception issues. A day after the Obama administration indicated the denial of visa to Modi would be overturned if he becomes PM, key Republican lawmakers are reported to have invited him to address an Indian-American community event, albeit via satellite, on Capitol Hill next week.