Washington: The nine-year US visa ban on Narendra Modi will automatically be lifted and he would enjoy diplomatic immunity if he becomes the prime minister, a Congressional report said today.
“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 of India, 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 US lawmakers.
In 2005, the US had denied visa to Modi in the wake of the 2002 Gujarat riots and has since 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 US Congress - at the request of several lawmakers, most who have been opposed to a US visa to Modi.
