‘I Haven’t Manufactured Those Signatures’

Mohammed Adeeb, an independent Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh, has in the past had close links with both the Samajwadi Party and the Congress. He claims he’s against the US or any foreign country meddling in India’s internal aff­airs. But his campaign and petition run against the grain of that idea. In an interview to Outlook, he offers his reasons for moving the petition and claims all the signatories put their initials on it voluntarily.

How did the petition to US president Barack Obama come about? Who took the initiative and why now?

I took the initiative during the 2012 Gujarat elections, when the British government and several European nat­­ions sta­rted reviewing their decisions on the ban on granting Narendra Modi a visa. I had earlier written to the British PM, since UK was one of the first countries to reach out to Modi. I decided to also write to the US president to know if the US was thinking of reviewing the decision not to give Modi a visa. When I mooted the idea, over 40 RS and 20 LS members signed up.

Why did you take a domestic issue to the US?

We’d written last year but deci­ded to release it to the press now because BJP president Rajnath Singh has decided to plead with the US government to revoke the visa ban on Modi. Ours was an attempt to seek clarification from the US on whether it was thinking of changing its decision.

But Modi is a democratically elected leader and the Indian government also wants the US to give him a visa. Why are you opposed to it?

I can fully understand and app­reciate the government’s stand. It has to show all due respect to an elected leader. But a person who refers to the Muslims of India as “Mian Musharraf” and who is blamed for the post-Godhra riots but shows no remorse for the death of innocents should not be given legitimacy by the international community. I am confident that a secular India will not elect Modi as its PM.

He hasn’t yet been found guilty in India, so why appeal to a foreign country?

We’ve raised a number of issues in the past with foreign governments. We have raised our protests against apartheid in South Africa and the plight of Palestinians. Why should it stop us from raising the issue of Modi’s visa with the US government?

CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury and many others are denying having signed the petition, imp­lying that you are a fraud.

I’m extremely sad that Sitaram, for whom I have much respect, is saying this. Maybe he is under pressure from his party and now wants to disassociate from the petition. I want him to set up an inquiry and find out if the signature is his or not. The signatures are all of those whose names are there. I haven’t manufactured them. If it is proved that their signatures were taken without their knowledge, I’m willing to resign from the Rajya Sabha. But if I am right, I will file a defamation case against those who are trying to malign me.