Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With help from Allie Bice. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Eli | Email Lauren When President JOE BIDEN hosted 200 guests for a Diwali celebration at the White House in October, a who’s who of Indian Americans representing the arts, entertainment and business communities gathered in the East Room. They watched the president light a diya and snapped selfies with Vice President KAMALA HARRIS, the first person of Indian heritage to hold the position. Actors KAL PENN and SURAJ SHARMA, internet star LILLY SINGH and Vanity Fair editor-in-chief RADHIKA JONES were just some of the A-listers in attendance. Many attendees said it felt like a unique and special moment in honor of Indian Americans and a holiday celebrating the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness. The vibes were a bit different this week. Many of the same individuals who had walked through the White House gates in October were invited to last night’s state dinner with Indian Prime Minister NARENDRA MODI. But unlike a few months ago, they had conflicted feelings about whether to attend. On the one hand, they felt honored to receive a prestigious and exclusive invitation. On the other hand, they were hesitant about helping celebrate and normalize an Indian leader who has curtailed free speech, the rights of Muslims and other religious minorities and, in their shared view, undermined democratic values. In the end, some confirmed to West Wing Playbook that they opted not to go. While their absence was mostly inconspicuous — names simply left off the official list of guests the White House released Thursday evening — some have since made their feelings public. SANA JAVERI KADRI, founder and CEO of the popular Diaspora Co. Spices, wrote on Instagram that attending a state dinner would have been “a truly once in a lifetime opportunity.” Yet, doing so in Modi’s honor was “fundamentally at odds with everything I believe in and stand for — a secular, progressive India that prioritizes equity for all.” Responding to Kadri’s post, HETAL VASAVADA, a former MasterChef contestant and founder of the blog “Milk & Cardamom,” wrote that she similarly turned down the state dinner invitation. “I couldn’t go because in all honesty I can not support a man who has incited violence against other fellow Indians based on their religious beliefs.” The White House said it does not comment on state dinner guest lists. State dinners typically have a significant Hollywood and pop culture presence. But that was notably not the case on Thursday. Director M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN was one of the biggest names to walk down the marbled halls Thursday night (aside from Apple CEO TIM COOK, fashion designer RALPH LAUREN and tennis legend BILLIE JEAN KING — none of whom claim Indian heritage). The tensions around the Modi dinner were apparent in even more subtle ways. Penn Masala, the a cappella group that performed at the state dinner, sang “Chaiyya Chaiyya” from Bollywood star SHAH RUKH KHAN’s 1998 movie “Dil Se…” Khan’s son, a Muslim, was jailed for a month in 2021 on unsubstantiated drug charges, which Modi critics viewed as retaliation for his speaking publicly against religious intolerance. None of those who declined invitations criticized Biden, either in public posts or in private conversations with West Wing Playbook that occurred on the condition of anonymity. The president, for his part, did not unbraid Modi about human rights during their public appearances this week, which began with an extravagant South Lawn welcome ceremony as some 7,000 flag-waving Indian-Americans cheered the prime minister’s arrival. Instead, Biden made a point of emphasizing shared objectives in his prepared remarks at the start of Thursday’s press availability. Indians and Americans, Biden said, “are both peoples … who cherish freedom and celebrate the democratic values of universal human rights, which face challenges around the world and each — and in each of our countries.” Perhaps the actual press availability itself was the clearest sign of how the White House pushed Modi. In his nine years as prime minister, Modi had never answered a direct question from a reporter. The event Thursday was unlike most “two-by-two” press conferences that take place during a state visit in that the leaders only took one question from one reporter per side. The Wall Street Journal’s SABRINA SIDDIQUI, who is Muslim, was the sole U.S. reporter called on by Biden. But the president then had to call on the Indian reporter for Modi after Siddiqui asked the prime minister about his country’s democratic backsliding and drew a feisty, defensive response. “India is a democracy,” Modi said. “In India's democratic values, there’s absolutely no discrimination neither on basis of caste, creed, or age, or any kind of geographic location.” The White House declined to comment on the press conference. MESSAGE US — Are you NARENDRA MODI? We want to hear from you. And we’ll keep you anonymous! Email us at westwingtips@politico.com. Did someone forward this email to you? Subscribe here!
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