President Joe Biden‘s national security team is increasingly uneasy with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two have little in common. Biden and his top aides are overwhelmingly irreligious. Modi, though, is a devout Hindu. Biden considers himself an orator; Modi is one. And, while Biden sees himself as an effete intellectual, Modi is a populist. Perhaps this is the root of the problem. Biden and his progressive base continue to blame Modi for the 2002 Gujarat riots in which more than 1,000 mostly Muslim Indians perished.

While the Pentagon increasingly seeks to further its partnership with India, especially against the backdrop of the looming China threat, many progressive commentators are increasingly uneasy with Modi. “How Long Will Joe Biden Pretend Narendra Modi’s India Is a Democratic Ally” one Time article asked. “Modi’s Hindu nationalism and his country’s backsliding on human rights and democracy are creating a problematic alliance for President Joe Biden,” Politico reported.