The nine-year U.S. visa ban on Narendra Modi will automatically be lifted and he will enjoy diplomatic immunity if he becomes Prime Minister of India, according to a Congressional report.
“Modi is widely considered to be one of the front-runners as prime ministerial candidate of his Bharatiya Janata Party. If Narendra Modi were to become Prime Minister, he would automatically be eligible for an A-1 [diplomatic] visa as head of State, regardless of the purpose of his visit,” the Congressional Research Service (CRS) said in its communication to U.S lawmakers on Monday.
In 2005, the U.S denied him visa in the wake of the 2002 Gujarat riots and has not revoked its decision.
The seven-page report ‘Visa Policy: the case of Narendra Modi’ was prepared by the CRS — an independent and bipartisan wing of the U.S. Congress — at the request of several lawmakers, most of whom who have been opposed to a visa to Mr. Modi.
The reports of the CRS are meant to keep the lawmakers informed and are non-binding on either Congress or the U.S. government.
