The cancellation of this meeting was deeply disturbing. It only furthers the idea that the Indian government isn’… https://t.co/5Mq1IjQGAz — Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) 1576793043000

Efforts to silence @PramilaJayapal are deeply troubling. The U.S. and India have an important partnership—but our p… https://t.co/KpLykoUVPQ — Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) 1576851667000

That's because they know they are violating international human rights laws that is leading to innocent lives being… https://t.co/BSXamta8qX — Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) 1576803416000

WASHINGTON: The perceived rift between progressive Democratic lawmakers in U.S and the Modi government has spilled out into the open. Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal has claimed that New Delhi sought to cut her out of a Congressional meeting with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar , even as visiting minister said he is not interested in meeting those who are biased and are “determined to be misled” on issues relating to India.The reported cancellation by the Indian side of a meeting between Jaishankar and the House Foreign Affairs Committee chaired by New York Democrat Eliot Engel made news on the Hill even on Impeachment Day given the background to the story. Progressive Democrats led by the so-called squad, including Somali-American Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and Palestinian-American Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, have been sharply critical of the Modi government’s actions in Kashmir amid disquiet among many Democrats and liberals in U.S about the direction India is taking and the personal equation between the Indian Prime Minister and President Trump which was on display at the Howdy-Modi rally in Houston.Chennai-born Jayapal has introduced a bi-partisan resolution in the House calling for an end to the restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir and for the Government of India to respect international human rights law. While recognizing the “dire security challenges faced by India in Jammu and Kashmir and the continuing threat of state-supported cross-border terrorism ,” the resolution nevertheless urges rejection of “arbitrary detention, use of excessive force against civilians, and suppression of peaceful expression of dissent as proportional responses to security challenges.”The resolution has irked New Delhi, particularly after members of the so-called squad rebuffed efforts by Indian diplomats to brief them on the issue. Diplomats who were part of the exercise to brief them said they seem to have taken an ideological position and made no effort to be open or receptive to New Delhi’s views or to facts on the ground. Omar in particular has tee’d off in hearings against the Modi government, alleging that its actions in Kashmir and Assam are part of an “overall Hindu nationalism project.”Asked about the broad rift with Democrats and about Jayapal’s resolution, Jaishankar told reporters on Thursday that he did not think it is a fair understanding of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir or a fair characterization of what the Government of India is doing.“I have no interest in meeting her,” he said brusquely of the imbroglio involving Jayapal. “I have an interest in meeting people who are objective and open to discussion, but not people who have already made up their minds.”The External Affairs Minister also rejected the notion that there was rift between Democrats and New Delhi because of the ideological dissonance. “My own sense is the support for the relationship is extremely strong in a very wide section of the 535-strong Congress (House+Senate) and among political leaders outside the Congress,” he maintained, pointing out that he met Congressman Ami Bera and Brad Sherman, who heads the sub-committee on South Asia. Bera, also Indian-American, is a member of the HFAC and newly-elected co-chair of the Caucus for India and Indian-Americans.The perception that Democrats are leery of the close ties between Modi and Trump administration -- which first surfaced during the Howdy Modi rally where many Democrats stayed away -- will likely get a further boost after Jaishankar and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh got to make a courtesy call on the President in the Oval Office in the middle of the impeachment debate in the House of Representatives. Several progressive, liberal lawmakers have expressed alarm over the direction India is taking, first in Kashmir and now with the NRC-CAA muddle.Jayapal, who is elected from a liberal district in Seattle, says her criticism of India’s action is also dictated by her constituents who care about the human rights situation in Kashmir. But Indian officials believe Pakistanis is the U.S have gamed the feedback to liberal lawmakers who have not bothered to familiarize themselves with the Kashmir issue. Besides, they pointed out that Jayapal is not a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee that Jaishankar was scheduled to meet.On her part, Jayapal says the Indian government is intolerant of criticism. “The cancellation of this meeting was deeply disturbing. It only furthers the idea that the Indian government isn’t willing to listen to any dissent at all,” she tweeted.She also found support from other liberals, including Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren, who said “efforts to silence Jayapal are deeply troubling” and tweeted that “The U.S. and India have an important partnership—but our partnership can only succeed if it is rooted in honest dialogue and shared respect for religious pluralism, democracy, and human rights.”That in turn caused Rashida Tlaib to respond: That's because they know they are violating international human rights laws that is leading to innocent lives being lost, and causing irreparable harm to children in #Kashmir. Thank you @PramilaJayapal for speaking up for #Kashmiris.”