NEW YORK : A Sikh rights group Friday initiated a social media campaign in support of its online petition calling on President Barack Obama to cancel his invitation to Prime Minister
Narendra Modi for the Indian leader’s role in 2002 anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat. Modi has been invited to the White House for talks with President Obama on September 30. Sponsored by Sikhs for Justice, a Facebook advertisement “Sign petition stop Obama from hosting Modi {Netanyahu of India}. Don’t fund another Israel”, has gone viral, according a press release issue by the group. (Benjamin Netanyahu is prime minister of ``Israel`).
The petition seeking cancellation of the invitation to Modi was launched on July 21. “Instead of hosting Modi at White House, President Obama should condemn Modi and ban BJP for perpetrating violence against Muslims, Sikhs and Christians,” the petition says.
“In June 1984, BJP instigated military attack on the Golden Temple resulting in the massacre of thousands of Sikh pilgrims. In 2008, BJP orchestrated violence against Christians in Orissa,” the petition alleges.
The petition, requires at least 100,000 signatures by 20 August to gain any attention of the White House.
Earlier, the SFJ had campaigned against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in connection with the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 following the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi.