Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the US on Monday during a world tour that saw visits to Afghanistan, Qatar, and Switzerland and will include a stop in Mexico before returning home. This is his fourth visit to the US and his seventh meeting with US President Barack Obama in the last two years with aims to "consolidate and celebrate" India-US relations.

No doubt Modi has strong chemistry with the outgoing Obama. Together they have raised ambitious targets, such as increasing bilateral trade from $100 billion to $500 billion. Modi is not scheduled to meet with any presidential hopefuls, such as Donald Trump, who Indian press has dubbed "America's Modi" for his style and sudden rise.

However, the atmosphere surrounding Modi's visit has been affected by some US politicians provoking headlines about India's human rights violations. Only last month, Senators Benjamin Cardin, Bob Corker, Timothy Kaine and others had pressed the State Department on India's so-called crackdown on non-governmental organizations operating within the country, especially those receiving funds from Greenpeace and the Ford Foundation.

The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, a bipartisan caucus of US Congress, is reportedly holding hearings on the current state of human rights in India to coincide with Modi's US visit. 

The 2016 report of the US Commission on International Religious Freedoms mentions violations of religious freedoms and intimidation and harassment of minorities in India. Of course, these US reports on human rights issues are nothing new and never impact the business-like tenor of US negotiators' focus on their pragmatic priorities.

Among the few serious issues on the table, India's testing of its K-4 submarine-launched ballistic missile (with a range of 3,500 kilometers) aboard its nuclear submarine Arihant in March had the US State Department expressing its concerns while Pakistan had raised a storm over India's "nuclearization" of the Indian Ocean. Such matters can have real impact on bilateral interactions.

Same is also true for Modi's recalibration of India-Russia defense ties following his summit with Russian President Putin last December. The two will meet again at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on June 23 and 24. India's full membership in the SCO and Modi's recent visit to Iran could be issues that call for an explanation during his US visit.

It is this perceived strategic drift of India that can seriously affect India-US relations, and Modi fully understands the importance of such perceptions among US leaders.

This possibly explains why the last developmental test of India's Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile (capable of carrying a 1.5 ton nuclear warhead up to 5,000 kilometers) has been on hold for nearly three months. The delay is now being attributed to the busy schedule of the prime minister, who plans to attend the final test of the Agni-V. However, some experts are interpreting this delay as being guided by Modi not wanting to displease the US and other major allies.

The second important task for Modi is to gauge the tone and tenor of America's presidential hopefuls and their advisors. This goodbye visit to Obama gives Modi an opportunity to understand if the next president may pose any major changes to India-US relations.

India is familiar with Hillary Clinton, whose predictability and comfort quotient are much greater than those of her flamboyant rival Donald Trump. Clinton is known for her empathy for India and has visited India several times both as the first lady and secretary of state. Trump remains an unknown entity, though he is believed to have visited India in August 2014 to sign a brand licensing agreement for Trump Tower Mumbai. This was soon after Modi became India's prime minster in May 2014.

This is a time for Modi to emphasize the fact that US-India engagement has enjoyed strong bipartisan relations, and Modi's address to the joint session of Congress should reinforce that sentiment.

The author is a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn