It took a couple of hours for the Narendra Modi government to graduate from ‘Abki baar, Trump Sarkar’ to warmly congratulating US president-elect Joe Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris just after midnight on Friday, as the US networks called the contest in favour of the Democratic Party.
That’s the mark of a super-pragmatic nation. One day you are rolling the red carpet out for Donald Trump, wishing him both ‘howdy’ and ‘namaste,’ and another day you are transferring your attention – not your affections, yet — to his opponent.
It seems the Trump team’s mind has boggled at the swiftness with which New Delhi has moved on. Perhaps they hoped India would wait until Trump called off his attack lawyers seeking a recount. After all, few made such a big deal of his friendship with Trump as Modi did this past year.
It seems even Trump underestimated Modi. The PM will surely do everything in the book and outside it to win elections — Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s support is a case in point. Whatever the result of the Bihar assembly election, unlike Trump, Modi will never publicly begrudge another’s fairly won victory.
Significantly, Modi moved quickly to outdo his good friend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who first tweeted his congratulations for Biden a full 12 hours later, and then followed it up with an “effusive tweet” for Trump.
Modi certainly didn’t do that. As they say in Hindi, ‘raat gayi, baat gayi’. When it’s over, it’s over.
That’s why, despite somewhat harsh criticism by both Biden and Kamala Harris in the recent past — notably, on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) as well as Harris’ defence of her Democrat colleague Pramila Jayapal for standing up to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar — New Delhi will certainly hope that large, new uncertainties, such as China, will enable both nations to look at the big picture, rather than dwell on smaller differences.
Also read: Trump is not Modi: 6 lessons Donald could have learned from his Indian friend
BJP’s over-reliance on Trump
Sure enough, despite Trump’s refusal to concede, the Biden-Harris transition team has moved in. The former US surgeon-general Vivek Murthy, it is announced, will co-chair the coronavirus task force along with David Kessler.
Soon enough, other political appointments will kick in, including to key ambassadorial posts such as India. Two names for US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, the point person for the region, are doing the rounds — senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations Alyssa Ayres and president of US-India Business Council Nisha Biswal. Former US ambassador to India Richard Verma, who has also been advising the Biden campaign, could also return to favour.
One reason for Modi’s early tweets congratulating both Biden and Harris is also to try and smoothen over the past half-empty glass and point to the possibility of it being half-full in the future.
Trump’s defeat is another one of those inflection points in history when the future appears uncertain and the past is hardly a guide. The Modi government put several eggs in the Trump basket – rather than in America’s basket.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leant so heavily in favour of Trump – rather than America – because it saw in the former US president a like-minded politician who shouted his criticism of China from the rooftops, supported the revocation of Article 370 and ignored the maltreatment of India’s Muslim citizens.
Even former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had told former US President George Bush that “the people of India love you.” But under Singh’s rule, domestic Indian politics never became so controversial that domestic critics began to look abroad for support.
Also read: What’s next for India, South Asia as Joe Biden enters White House
CAA to Kashmir to Jaishankar-Jayapal
The Biden displeasure with the CAA — which excludes South Asian Muslims from getting Indian citizenship, but opens the door to Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains and everyone else — is a case in point. Earlier this year, Biden’s website carried the following statement:
“Joe Biden has been disappointed by the measures that the government of India has taken with the implementation and aftermath of the National Register of Citizens in Assam and the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act into law. These measures are inconsistent with the country’s long tradition of secularism and with sustaining a multi-ethnic and multi-religious democracy,” it said.
Biden also gave Kashmir his fair share of attention.
“In Kashmir, the Indian government should take all necessary steps to restore rights for all the people of Kashmir. Restrictions on dissent, such as preventing peaceful protests or shutting or slowing down the Internet, weaken democracy,” the Biden campaign website said.
As for Pramila Jayapal, Biden named her and Murthy as co-chairs to his healthcare task force only in May.
Jayapal had, of course, hit the headlines when she sponsored a resolution in the House of Representatives urging India to drop restrictions imposed in Jammu and Kashmir after the revocation of Article 370.
Consequently, during a US trip last December, S. Jaishankar preferred to cancel a scheduled meeting with the House foreign relations committee when he learnt that Jayapal would be a part of it – he asked the Americans to drop her, but they refused.
At the time, US Senator Kamala Harris had stood up for Pramila Jayapal, saying “it’s wrong for any foreign government to tell Congress what members are allowed in meetings on Capitol Hill. Similarly, Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren had said, “Efforts to silence @pramilajayapal are extremely troubling.” Warren is expected to get a big Cabinet post in the Biden administration.
But Delhi can still take heart. China’s Xi Jinping has still not congratulated Biden or Harris. Biden’s foreign policy advisors say the Trumpian emphasis on China being China’s main competitor will stay, even though Biden’s tone will be far more restrained. That’s what Delhi will surely count upon.
For the moment, though, the Biden-Harris team has much more on its hands than to start worrying about the world, including rifts within the Democratic Party itself. Sooner than later, though, the outside world will assert itself – what better than a crisis to see how the chips fall.
Views are personal.
The whole episode shows the pathetic weakness and lack of self esteem of ‘the Hindu nationalists’. It is highly unprofessional and unbecoming of a PM of a country to express publicly a preference for one candidate over another, in a different country. I am referring to our chai wallah simpering abki baar, Trump sarkar. No other country has shown such a weakness.
Before the election, I was getting Whats App posts from Hindus simpering like Modi about Trump. After the election, there is pin drop silence from them. Various RSS supported candidates like Tulsi Gabbard and Preston Kulkarni did not make it. For the last 20 years, the RSS has infiltrated their supporters abroad without opposition. But because of the attacks they have perpetrated on Muslims and Christians in India, India’s minorities and anti fascist Hindus abroad have got together to block them. Now the RSS sponsored candidates do not have a free run. If you are a RSS sponsored candidate, the fascist baggage will be a liability.
Modi has congratulated Biden but he must realise that although US may need India for China, attacks on minorities in India will not go unnoticed. Harris and Pramila Jayapal know what is going on and will not be Modi’s fan club.
The author writes ‘But Delhi can still take heart. China’s Xi Jinping has still not congratulated Biden or Harris’ – as if China is sulking !
Whereas China is following diplomatic protocol and will wait till Biden becomes President (at the moment, he is President Elect). That is how great powers behave – the Chinese do not need to touch anyone’s feet for sympathy. The Hindus on the other hand run after one candidate because he has given licence for their wickedness and when that does not work out, they run to touch the feet of the other in case he is annoyed. India does not behave like a power, and stems from this Hindutva mentality of the BJP.
I have lived in India all my life , travelled well across the country but I never came across events like ‘ atrocities on muslims ‘ infact I have seen many atrocities happening on Dalit Hindus by different religious sectors of society that includes Hindus ,Muslims n Christians .It’s sad that you are so full of poison for the country that you are not backing off to even praise china , a country that has never supported india n is famously killing Uighur muslims in their own country. Slow clap to u man !
but he must realise that although US may need India for China, attacks on minorities in India will not go unnoticed. Harris and Pramila Jayapal know what is going on and will not be Modi’s fan club.
India will not be taken for ride by US the way Saddam Hussein was taken for ride in US fighting with Iran. India will simply ask what is in for us to help US fight India. First thing is forget the nonsense of minority issues in India.
India should tell us :” If you love them so much take them in US. We have no objections if all member of our minority are getting US immigration. We will watch with our hands folded when members of new immigrant Muslims slit throats of some Americans.”
I wish to make the following points:
1. there is NO maltreatment of india’s muslim citizens as suggested by the author.
2. we can the importance of CAA from what is happening in france and other european countries.
3. we cannot afford to role back article 370 and 35A if we want peace in the country.
4. Lastly Modi Govt. is definitely not so spineless to determine our internal policies based on what biden-harris will think.
It is time to tell Americans to keep their nose out of where it does not belong.
No domestic politics in foreign policy. No personal relations in global diplomacy. The sanctity of those basic postulates should be restored. 2. In the case of America, rethinking the role of the diaspora. Not to be used as a diplomatic asset. They should be encouraged to invest in India, in manufacturing and services. The Chinese diaspora made a tremendous contribution to its economic transformation. Ms Nisha Biswal would know both the promise and the heartbreak of doing business with India. There should be more talk – and not talk alone – of $ 500 billion two way trade. Not Pakistan – China all the time. 3. Shortly after 5th August 2019, the US Embassy had put out a statement, urging restoration of statehood. That would be a good step forward. 4. President Biden will not need to read the newspapers, watch TV, to know what is happening in the world. If he does, he will struggle to find a kind word about India,
By now, we all know that only Jyoti can write such articles and SG is happily allowing her to publish them. Like Netanyahu, Modi could have kept a message for Trump, though this is never the practice. We have CAA/NRC coming up soon and perhaps, declaring India as Hindu Rashtra by changing the Art 1 of the Constitution and we certainly do not want USA to be the pain in the neck. Dealing with China should not be an issue as USA itself needs India’s help against China. Other issues will remain broadly on similar level.
Not an issue … Breakfast in Lhasa, lunch in Wuhan, drinks in Shanghai, dinner in the Forbidden City.
Bottom line is US need India more than India need US. India can get weapons from Russia. US does not have any ally matching Chinese manpower & size. So India should blunt and tell Jaipal, Harris etc. anti-Indians with Indian origin, to get lost.
We should not be racists. Indian blood should no mean much if they are anti-India or anti-Hindu. We prefer Americans without non-Indian blood, who are pro-India, person like Tulsi Gabrd.. she is also photogenic as opposed to ghastly Pamela Jaipal.
Former US President – kitni dil ko thandak pahunchti hai.