Politics : More than 70 Democratic members of the US Congress on June 20 urged President Joe Biden in a joint letter to raise “areas of concern” in his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

President Biden and Prime Minister Modi are scheduled to hold a private meeting tonight, followed by further meetings.

“As longtime supporters of a strong US-India relationship, we also believe that friends can and should discuss their differences in an honest and forthright way,” the lawmakers said in the letter, adding, “That is why we respectfully request that — in addition to the many areas of shared interests between India and the US — you also raise directly with Prime Minister Modi the areas of concern.”