The Democrats consider themselves to be the harbingers of democracy across the world and often use it as an excuse to bomb the hell out of the Middle East and the Biden administration is no different.
In the first few months of the Biden administration, it has been amply clear that the USA wants to target and alienate all the countries that were close allies of the Trump administration. Now, in a move which can be seen as an attempt to initiate a regime change, a US government-funded think tank, Freedom House has not only stripped away India’s tag of “free” but also distorted India’s map by completely cutting away the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and simultaneously attacking PM Modi.
In its annual report, where the US-based think tank downgraded India’s status from “free” to “partly free”, Freedom House’s propaganda was exposed as it distorted India’s map by entirely cutting out the region of Jammu and Kashmir.
“India is not rated “Free” in Freedom in the World 2021. Political rights and civil liberties have eroded in India since Narendra Modi became prime minister in 2014, causing the country to drop from Free to Partly Free in 2020,” tweeted Freedom House with a distorted map of India.
https://twitter.com/freedomhouse/status/1367135204285022212?s=20
The report, when read in detail, is full of vitriol against PM Modi and has even attacked India’s judiciary. Seemingly oblivious of the facts, the report attacked the Indian judiciary for delivering judgements that favour the BJP especially the Ram Mandir verdict as it lamented how a “historic” mosque was “unlawfully” destroyed.
“Several key Supreme Court rulings in recent years have been favorable to the BJP, including the 2019 decision allowing the construction of a Hindu temple on the site of a historic mosque, and the court’s March 2020 decision to deny bail to a scholar and prominent critic of Modi who was charged with supporting a banned Maoist group,” read the report.
The report stated, “Rather than serving as a champion of democratic practice and a counterweight to authoritarian influence from countries such as China, Modi and his party are tragically driving India itself toward authoritarianism.”
It added, “Under Modi, India appears to have abandoned its potential to serve as a global democratic leader, elevating narrow Hindu nationalist interests at the expense of its founding values of inclusion and equal rights for all.”
Copying from the playbook of the likes of Rana Ayyub, the report attacked India’s Covid induced lockdown. Ironically, while India has stupendously managed the pandemic, the supposed first world led by the USA continues to bungle in its handling of the pandemic.
“The ruling Hindu nationalist movement also encouraged the scapegoating of Muslims, who were disproportionately blamed for the spread of the virus and faced attacks by vigilante mobs,” stated the report.
The report also claimed that “the political rights of India’s Muslims continue to be threatened” through laws like the CAA.
The USA needs India to counter China in the Indo-Pacific. While India can do it without the US, the US — if it wants to retain its leadership status in the world, will need India to counter and check China which is directly coming for the USA’s interests.
The Indian diaspora may be divided among the Democrats and Republicans, but on PM Modi they are mostly united, and they will not tolerate an attack on the democratically elected leader of India and the distortion of India’s map. Kashmir is a sentimental issue for Indians and Biden has crossed a line and perhaps irreparably damaged Indo-US ties.