'Standing ovation' for Modi aside, India is still not ‘special’ enough for the US Senate

PM Modi received a number of standing ovations in his address the US joint congress session, building hopes for better relations with the country; however, when it came to officiating things, the US Senate failed to pass a key amendment of a bill that would have recognised India as a "global strategic and defence partner" of the US.

It was after PM Modi had address the joint session, top Republican senator John McCain had moved an amendment to the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA-17), which once passed would have recognised India as a global strategic and defence partner for the US.

Even though NDAA was passed by the Senate with an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 85-13, some of its the key amendments, including SA 4618, failed to get passed.

"The (Senate) amendment (No 4618) was not adopted to the NDAA," a Congressional aide said.

To this, McCain expressed disappointment; however, he didn’t name India in his response.

"I regret that the Senate was unable to debate and vote on several matters critical to our national security, many of which enjoyed broad bipartisan support," McCain said in a statement.

"In particular, I am deeply disappointed the Senate was not able to increase the number of special immigrant visas for Afghans who risked their lives to help America in a time of war, and whose lives are still at risk today," he added. "Too often throughout this process, a single senator was able to bring the Senate's work on our national defence to a halt. This was a breakdown in the decorum of the Senate, and one that will have serious consequences."

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