US hedges bets on Modi

Without naming Chief Minister Narendra Modi,a senior State Department official has said the US will evaluate any visa application based on merits and according to its laws even as major American media outlets noted the British government’s decision to resume ties with the Gujarat government.

“As you probably know,we don’t get into questions of visa matters on any particular individual. That said,we of course will evaluate any visa application based on its merits and in accordance with the US law,so I don’t have anything further on that specifically,” assistant secretary of state for public affairs Mike Hammer told foreign journalists at a press conference on Thursday.

Hammer was responding to a question on Modi in the wake of Britain’s decision to end its decade-long policy of no-contact with him,which it took after the communal riots in the Gujarat a decade ago.

“Is there a shift in the US policy towards Modi,or not yet?” Hammer was asked.

Meanwhile,Washington Post noted that the British decision could just be the beginning of an end to Modi’s pariah status internationally.

“Being a business-friendly government official in one of the world’s fastest-growing economies can erase a lot of political baggage,” the paper said in an article.