Washington:
As a controversy rages in India, the US today said if Gujarat Chief Minister
Narendra Modi applies for a visa, his application will be considered in accordance with the American immigration law and policy.
"If (the Gujarat) Chief Minister Modi applies for a visa, his application will be considered to determine whether he qualifies for a visa, in accordance with US immigration law and policy," State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki, told reporters.
Ms Psaki said the US policy on this had not changed, but refused to discuss the "specifics of that process or individual cases".
In New Delhi, a letter bomb has political circles exercised; Mr Modi's party, the BJP, has demanded a detailed inquiry to determine whether parliamentarians have written to US President Barack Obama, urging him not to rescind a 2005 ban on a visa for Mr Modi.
Some of the 65 MPS whose signatures the letter purportedly bears have denied signing it. Sitaram Yechury of the Left has contested the veracity of his signature as has KP Ramalingam of the DMK. Sanjeev Naik of the Nationalist Congress Party or NCP points out that he is mistakenly listed as a Rajya Sabha member.
(Letter to Barack Obama on Narendra Modi visa: More MPs claim signatures forged)Today DMK chief M Karunanidhi said his party MPs had denied signing the letter, and warned of action if they had signed it. "The DMK does not interfere in the Centre's foreign policy or the internal affairs of a foreign country," he said.
But Rajya Sabha member Mohammed Adeeb insists that the letter is authentic. He alleged that MPs like Mr Yechury are bending to pressure from their parties to disclaim the note. Mr Adeeb says that by re-sending the letter to the White House, he hopes to stultify the effort of BJP chief Rajnath Singh, who was in the US this week to lobby for an end to the ban on Mr Modi's travel to America.
In 2005, the US denied Mr Modi a visa, citing "the violation of religious freedoms" in the communal riots that ravaged his home state in his first term as Gujarat Chief Minister. Since then, the issue has come up often, with groups of US lawmakers having petitioned both for and against a visa for Mr Modi.
For years Mr Modi has sought to dismiss it as a non-issue pointing out that he hasn't sought a visa after 2005. Matters may, however, change; the Gujarat chief minister has recently been elevated as the BJP's election campaign chief, a promotion that many in his party see as a step towards his being named the BJP's candidate for prime minister for the 2014 general elections.