The leaders of the United States and India were asked tough questions about the state of democracy during a joint press conference at the White House.
Alleged backsliding of Indian democracy has been the elephant in the room as Narendra Modi, the country's prime minister, meets with President Joe Biden for a state visit. But a reporter brought up the topic directly on Thursday afternoon.
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"As you raise these broader issues of human rights and democracy," the reporter said, "what is your message to those, including some members of your own party, who believe that your administration is overlooking the targeting of religious minorities in a crackdown on dissent in India?"
Biden said the two leaders had, in fact, talked about it.
"The prime minister and I had a good discussion about democratic values. That's the nature of our relationship, we're straightforward with each other and we respect each other," he said. "We're both democracies ... It's in America's DNA, and I believe it's in India's DNA, that the whole world has a stake in our success in maintaining our democracies."
Both nations believe in diversity, tolerance, and robust debate, the president added, which will enable them to expand democratic institutions across the world.
Modi was asked if India's claim to be the world's largest democracy was jeopardized, with human rights groups saying its government increasingly discriminates against Muslims and silences critics.
"As President Biden also mentioned, India and America, both countries, democracy is in our DNA," Modi said through a translator. "Democracy is in our spirit. Democracy runs in our veins. We live democracy."
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Modi insisted there is no discrimination in his country on the basis of caste, creed, religion, or gender.
"When you say democracy and you accept democracy, and when we live democracy, then there is absolutely no space for discrimination," he said.