Modi's visit to US yielded 'very little gains': CPM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's fifth visit to the US in three years has yielded "very little gains" for India, the CPI(M) claimed today.
The CPI(M) also criticised the joint statement Modi and President Donald Trump issued, saying it "reconfirmed" India's status as a "subordinate" ally of the US.
The Left party rued India's major concerns like the status of H1B visas, racial attacks on Indians in the US, and that country's withdrawal from Paris climate change commitments, allegedly found no mention during Modi's meeting with Trump.
Instead, CPI(M) politburo alleged, Modi only committed that India will open its economy to the US.

"Modi's fifth visit to the US during these three years has resulted in very little gains for India or even attention to be paid by the US to India's immediate concerns.
"The joint statement issued with President Trump only reconfirms India's status as a subordinate ally of the USA," the politburo said in a statement.

On Modi allegedly committing India will open its economy to the US, the politburo said that it is being done when India has sharply increased its purchase of American defence equipment, particularly USD 2 billion worth of aerial drones.
The Left party also alleged that the government has for the first time joined the US in condemning North Korea and also aligned India with the US on the South China Sea dispute involving China and its neighbours.

"What is worse is that India now appears to have subscribed to the US position of equating terrorism with Islam, negating India's longstanding position reiterated even by this government's spokespersons in India's Parliament on several occasions that terrorism in India knows no religion," it said.