- India’s Foreign Minister, S. Jaishankar has raised the issue of human rights abuse in USA
- India’s remarks came after Antony Blinken, US secretary of state tried to lecture India on alleged human rights abuse
- With its rebuttal to the USA, India has shown that it is independent and will retaliate in the time and manner it chooses
For the last 75 years, gaslighting foreign countries has been one constant feature of American diplomacy. In spite of being one of the biggest abusers of human rights, Uncle Sam keeps lecturing the world about the importance of humanity. Recently, it tried this stunt with India as well, only to get a stronger sucker punch from S. Jaishankar, India’s Minister of External Affairs (EAM).
India’s EAM takes US to the cleaners
India has rained down heavily on increased human rights abuses in USA. On Wednesday, 13th April, India’s EAM hinted that from now on, India won’t be taking unilateral moral lectures from the USA. Through his statements, he asserted that the time has come when the US should start looking inwards before commenting on anything happening (or not) in Indian territories.
During a press briefing, Jaishankar said, “Look, people are entitled to have views about us. But we are also equally entitled to have views about their views and about the interests, and the lobbies and the vote banks which drive that. So, whenever there is a discussion, I can tell you that we will not be reticent about speaking out.”
India condemns human rights abuses in USA
India’s EAM raised his issues regarding increased attacks on people of Indian origin in the USA. To protect his Indian brethren, Jaishankar made a departure from India’s existing unwritten policy of not commenting on internal law and order scenarios of other countries. “I would tell you that we also take our views on other people’s human rights situation, including that of the United States. So, we take up human rights issues when they arise in this country, especially when they pertain to our community. And in fact, we had a case yesterday…that’s really where we stand on that,” added India’s EAM.
Jaishankar was referring to a recent racist attack on 2 Sikh men. On Tuesday, 2 Sikh men were assaulted in an alleged hate crime incident in Richmond Hills area of New York. Similarly, in January this year, a Sikh man was subjected to hate crime at JFK international airport. Allegedly, the attackers asked them to go back to their own country (India). According to Jenifer Rajkumar, NY State Assemblywoman, hate crimes against Indians have increased by 200 percent in recent years.
India’s clear and unequivocal denouncing of human rights abuse in the USA is seen as a rebuttal to recent moral posturing by its secretary of state on the alleged human rights abuses in India. On Tuesday, after the 2+2 dialogue with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, USA’s Secretary of State Antony Blinken lost the plot. Blinken preached to India on the Humans rights abuse this time. The deluded Democrat diplomat remarked that Washington was monitoring the rise in Human rights abuse in India.
Read more: Laughable! US secretary threatens India to monitor ‘Human Rights abuses’
USA-biggest abuser of human rights
The USA lecturing India on human rights abuse and that too without proof reeks of hypocrisy of the highest order. For asserting its dominance on global stage, USA has been committing murders left, right and centre. Its wars in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria etc are prime examples of human rights abuse. Madeleine Albright, US first female secretary of state justified killings of millions of children in following words.
“I think that is a very hard choice,”but the price, we think, the price is worth it.” said Albright, a female US politician, expected to bring in kindness in foreign policy.
The death of 500,000 dead Iraqi children was "a very hard choice, but the price-we think the price is worth it" ~Madeleine Albright pic.twitter.com/gOA3KkZv44
— The Serfs (@theserfstv) March 23, 2022
India’s message behind rebuking Uncle Sam
In the last few months, India has taken a conscious decision to be proactive in holding onto its frame on the international stage. It has abstained from voting against Russia on multiple occasions. Similarly, India did not fear any sanctions from the USA when it decided to increase economic cooperation with Russia. Moreover, in spite of being an integral part of QUAD (of which USA is also a part), the Southasian giant is working on developing its separate economic and strategic partnership with countries including Australia.
Read more: With its stand against the UN’s resolution on Islamophobia, India is giving voice to the voiceless
India’s EAM taking a stand on the US’ moral lecture heralds the rise of a new India. An India, which chooses its allies and enemies on its own. No matter how close or powerful an ally is, India would have no problem shrugging it off if the partner goes haywire against India’s national interest.
We never had such a bold Foreign Secretary in India’s history. Bravo. When countries or organizations believe that human rights belong only to the minorities and the majority in India have no human rights, they lose credibility. Besides, these countries and organizations are pretty quiet about many other countries. As far as America is concerned, just remind the statistics about the percentage of the blacks population in the country vis-a-vis the percentage of the blacks population in prisons.