Modi invited to address meeting of US Congress on June 22

US congressional leaders yesterday invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address a joint meeting of the House of Representatives and Senate on June 22, one of the highest honors Washington affords to foreign dignitaries. "During your address, you will have the opportunity to share your vision for India's future and speak to the global challenges our countries both face," House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a letter to Modi. The speech would be Modi's second to a joint meeting of the US legislature, a rare honor for a leader once denied a visa to enter the United States over human rights concerns. President Joe Biden is eager to deepen ties with the world's largest democracy as part of his bid to win what he has framed as a contest between free and autocratic societies, especially China. The White House announced last month that Modi was invited for an official state visit, despite advocacy groups' concerns over what they see as a deteriorating human rights situation under his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. The State Department's annual report on human rights practices released in March listed "significant human rights issues" and abuses in India.