The United States on Monday reaffirmed its decision to deny a diplomatic visa to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and revoke his tourist and business visas.
Reading out a statement, US Ambassador to India David C Mulford said the decision applied only to Modi and not to his party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, or the Gujarati community.
The reaffirmation of the US stand came four days after New Delhi sought a review of Washington's decision. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself had objected to America linking Modi to Gujarat riots, saying it was 'not appropriate'.
"The Ministry of External Affairs requested the Department of State to review the decision to revoke his [Modi's] tourist/business visa. Upon review, the State Department reaffirmed the original decision," Mulford told reporters in New Delhi.
He said the decision was 'based on the fact' that as head of the Gujarat state government between February and May 2002, 'he [Modi] was responsible for the performance of state institutions at that time'.
The State Department's detailed views on this matter are included in its annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices and International Religious Freedom Report, Mulford said.
"Both reports document the violence in Gujarat from February 2002 and May 2002 and cite the Indian National Human Rights Commission report, which states there was a comprehensive failure on the part of the state government to control the persistent violation of rights to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the people of the state," he said.
Meanwhile, Modi, who was scheduled to start a five-day visit to the US from Sunday, addressed a meeting in New York's Madison Square via a satellite link on Monday.
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