US president Joe Biden is likely to skip India’s Republic Day celebrations, at which he was expected to be the chief guest, according to reports.
This comes after the US Justice Department accused an Indian official of hatching a plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader on American soil.
In September, US ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said Indian prime minister Narendra Modi had invited Mr Biden to be the chief guest for India’s Republic Day celebrations on 26 January.
India extended the invitation to Mr Biden as part of its preparations to host the Quad Leaders Summit in January next year.
An Indian government source told The Independent: “The Quad summit in India is proposed to be held later in 2024.
In November, the US said that it had thwarted a plot to kill Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil.
The US raised concerns with New Delhi that the Indian government may have had knowledge of the plot. »