WASHINGTON, March 21: The United States on Monday rejected an Indian government request to reconsider the decision to revoke Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s visa. An official statement said there was no question of Washington changing its decision to deny Mr Modi a visa to the United States. The move came despite a strong letter of protest from the Indian government and an appeal by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to have the decision reviewed.

“This decision applies to Mr Narendra Modi only. It is based on the fact that, as head of the state government in Gujarat between Feb 2002 and May 2002, he was responsible for the performance of state institutions at that time,” the statement said.

“The State Department’s detailed views on this matter are included in its annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices and the International Religious Freedom Report. Both reports document the violence in Gujarat from Feb 2002 to May 2002.”

Reacting to the rejection of the Indian request, a spokesman for the ministry of external affairs in New Delhi told reporters that Washington’s decision was unfair.

“This disregards the fact of the constitutional position of the Chief Minister of Gujarat as a democratically elected leader and appears to be based on selective judgment,” said Navtej Sarna.

“While it is the sovereign right of a country to grant or deny visas, the government does not find this decision by the United States in keeping with the objectives that India and US share as democratic countries,” he added.

The US statement said the denial of visa to Mr Modi was not directed at his party, the BJP, which rules Gujarat.

MODI ADDRESSES INDIANS: Mr Modi addressed a gathering of the Indian community in New York via satellite from Gandhinagar, India, on Sunday evening. But surprisingly, it was a much toned down Modi.

Just hours after attacking US President Bush at a rally in Ahmedabad, Mr Modi told his audience he had no grievances against the Americans.

“I have no grievance against the US or the people of that country over the visa denial issue,” he said.

However, a pro-Indian US congressman and founder of the India Caucus, Frank Pallone, told the same rally that the US administration should not have cancelled Mr Modi’s visa.

“Allegations against Modi haven’t been proven and he should have been given a visa,” Mr Pallone said.

But while there was support for Mr Modi inside, there were strong protests outside the venue. In another development, the Asian American Hotel Owners Association, which has organized the conference that Mr Modi was scheduled to address, said its invitation was still valid. The association said it was still hopeful that he would be able to address the conference on Thursday.