By IndiaTomorrow.net,
San Jose, California, 28 Sep 2015: During his first visit to United States as prime minister of India, Narendra Modi received rousing welcome at Madison Square in New York City in Sep 2014. A bit similar standing ovation he got this time at SAP Centre in San Jose of California on Sunday. But as he faced protesters outside Madison Square, a protest demonstration was held against him outside the SAP Centre this time.
Passionate crowds of protesters greeted Modi with loud slogans and dozens of placards upon his arrival at San Jose’s SAP Center for Indian community reception. In their way, the posters, chants, and surprise banner drop tried to highlight Modi’s past records.
Anti-Modi protestors holding placards outside San Jose in California on 27 Sep 2015 (Photo – AJA)
“The protest was the culmination of a month-long campaign to educate Silicon Valley leaders and elected officials about Modi’s troubling human rights record,” said the Alliance for Justice and Accountability (AJA), organizer of the protest demonstration.
“We were pleasantly surprised by the turnout, which was much higher than we anticipated,” said Bhajan Singh, a community leader with the AJA. People came from cities as far away as Los Angeles. The numbers are a testament to the strong feelings that Modi evokes because of his poor record on religious rights, women’s rights, caste, digital freedom, LGBTQ equality, and environmental justice.”
PM Narendra Modi at SAP Centre in San Jose, California on 27 September 27, 2015.
Protesters enacted a “die in” to dramatize the attacks against Muslims, Christians, Dalits, women, and other communities that are occurring with increasing frequency under the Modi administration.
Inside the 18,000-seated SAP Centre, however, PM Modi got thunderous applauds several times during his one-hour speech.
As in India, Modi die-hards threatened and attacked protesters, including Dalit and LGBTQ Indians, leaving them shaken, claimed the organizers.
