For the last 100 years, America has used every tactic to stay relevant in geopolitics. While some of them are legitimate methods, most of them have an in-built treacherous mechanism. It was again visible in its criticism of India. But due to the “Jaishankar effect“, it was quite meek this time around.
Samantha Power in India
After failing on multiple occasions, the Biden administration has deployed new tactics to chide India. It is not doing it directly but in a hushed tone. Samantha Power, head of the United States Agency for International Development is currently in India. Apparently, the stated goal of her trip is to advance the India-US strategic partnership. But, as with every other educated American, she also felt compulsive to give her views on Democracy. This time around, she was all-praise for India.
She appreciated India for respecting human rights, celebrating diversity, free press, and free speech among other values which were mainly designed to make humans more consumptive of factory outputs. Samantha Power even said that other countries should follow India’s trajectory. However, soon she went on to state all those qualities which are in danger in India. Putting India and the USA in the same fold, Power said, “Yet the headwinds against democratic rule are strong the world over. Within the US and India, there are forces who seek to sow division; who seek to pit ethnicities and religions against each other; who wish to bend laws, abuse institutions, and wield violence against those who stand in their way.” Then she went on to cite the Capitol hills invasion attempt as evidence of her hypothesis.
But, the question is, why Americans jumping off the Capitol Hills is relevant to India? Was Samantha Power trying to state that India is under a similar risk? Was she hinting towards the Red Fort incident related to fake Farmers’ protests?
Decoding statements of Samantha Power
But, there is a larger meaning here. In the Capitol hills incident, it is widely believed that Trump supporters were the ones who apparently attempted what is now termed as “insurrection”. Now, at the global level, PM Modi and Donald Trump have been put in the same boat by the liberal media. Other nationalistic leaders like Brazil’s Zair Bosanaro, late Japanese leader Shinzo Abe, Hungary’s Victor Orban, and finally Vladimir Putin are also part of the group against which liberal media runs vicious campaigns.
This is the crux of the subconscious message given by Samantha Power. Without saying it directly, she has said that India’s values are at risk because of Modi supporters.
US’ consistent attempts to malign India
But, in the past, the United States and especially the Biden administration has said it. Without any evidence, It has even accused the Modi government of doing extrajudicial killings. Quote, “Significant human rights issues included: unlawful and arbitrary killings, including extrajudicial killings perpetrated by police; torture and cases of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by some police and prison officials…” This is an excerpt from the Biden administration’s 2020 report on human rights in India.
In the wake of the Ukraine-Russia crisis, unsolicited lectures started to increase in both numbers and intensity. The USA wanted India to participate in its illogical, irrelevant, useless, and thoughtless sanctions on Russia. But, India did not reciprocate and so the USA started to try twisted methods to get India on board. It took out minority rights cards and started India to pester with.
Jaishankar has been thrashing US left, right and center
In April this year, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) suggested the Biden Administration to name India along with China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and 11 other nations as a “Country of Particular Concern” over the status of religious freedom.
The organization had already been declared an “Organisation of Particular Concern” in 2020. This time around, Jaishankar’s Ministry effectively declared them ‘troglodytes’ when it comes to having an understanding of India. Foreign Ministry said that the commission lacks a basic understanding of the constitutional framework of India and its plurality.
Lecturing needs to stop
Earlier in that very month, Jaishankar had hinted that if the US does not stop interfering in India’s domestic situation, then India will feel compelled to interfere in America’s domestic politics as well. Then in June, the United States used a slightly hushed tone to criticize India. This time they said that only “some officials” in India are engaged in hurting religious freedom. Similar sentiments were echoed in July as well. External Affairs Ministry again termed them as “biased and inaccurate” then and there.
Comments of Samantha Power have come in a politically correct manner and language. But, it does not take away the larger meaning. Though it is good news that India has crushed the tone, still any kind of such inferences should be eliminated from the diplomatic language. It will be better for the US as it needs India for balancing the world order not the other way around. Yes, you have to be humble before begging.
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