It was under a Republican administration led by George Bush in 2005 that the United States had denied visa to a certain Gujarat chief minister named Narendra Modi. A Democratic president, Barack Obama, went around hugging PM Modi. His republican successor, Donald Trump, is prone to lash out at India over a few motorcycles, and yet the strategic ties between the two countries have only been growing.
No matter who wins an election in New Delhi or Washington, India-US ties only get stronger. That caveat aside, it is important to note the ups and downs in the relationship.
Should Joe Biden become the next US president, he can only do better for India than Trump did. But Biden may not be politically good for Modi. Such nuance matters, even if we may not like to hear the truth that India isn’t Modi and Modi isn’t India. The country is bigger than its leader, no matter how popular s/he is.
Also read: Only common agenda between Trump and Biden — tackling the China challenge
Biden won’t be silent
In January 2015, in the backdrop of a ‘ghar wapsi (religious conversion of minorities)’ campaign by Hindu fundamentalists, Barack Obama spoke in Delhi just before leaving for the airport. In this address, he lectured India on religious tolerance. “No society is immune from the darkest impulses of men and too often, religion has been used to tap into those instead of the light of God. Every person has the right to practise any faith or none as he chooses without the fear of prosecution,” Obama said in a speech that was virtually ticking Modi off in his own capital.
Earlier this year, religious violence broke out in Delhi while President Trump was visiting. Trump refused to speak on the violence, or against the protests around India’s controversial new citizenship law — the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). “I want to leave that to India and hopefully they will make the right decision,” Trump said in a statement in New Delhi, which the American media saw as defending Modi.
Juxtaposing these two incidents will tell you why Narendra Modi may not be so keen about seeing Biden and Kamala Harris in the White House. Both leaders have on record taken positions that make it clear they back a liberal India, and care about it. We can be sure that Biden-Harris won’t give Modi the free pass that Trump did. Biden has expressed disapproval of the CAA and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), and Kamala Harris’ words on the abrogation of Article 370 should alarm New Delhi: “We have to remind the Kashmiris that they are not alone in the world. We are keeping a track on the situation. There is a need to intervene if the situation demands.”
It is difficult to imagine India snubbing American lawmakers asking tough questions on Kashmir or anti-Muslim violence and laws — should Biden become president.
Modi’s Hindu fundamentalist base was ecstatic when Donal Trump became president, because of his unabashed Islamophobia. They also saw his victory as a sign of the global legitimacy of nationalist, xenophobic and Islamophobic politics. In a similar fashion, a Democrat victory will have an opposite impact on global politics.
A Biden presidency will deepen India-US ties thanks to rising China, but when it comes to hugging Modi, the Democrats might remember how Modi lent himself to the Trump campaign.
Also read: Trump or Biden, India-US strategic ties won’t be friction-free
Do we still share the shared values?
Note that even under Trump, the US government hasn’t exactly been silent on the growing deficit of democracy in India. Alice Wells of the US State Department issued statement after statement disapproving of India on the CAA, detained Kashmiri politicians, and internet restrictions in Kashmir. If that’s what the Trump administration did, it is easy to guess that Biden will be louder.
India is no Saudi Arabia for the US that it would look the other way. Confronting China, the US is already stressing more on the good ol’ spiel about democracy, freedom and rights. It won’t be possible for Biden to make a big deal about democratic values and hug Modi three times a year if India’s democratic deficit keeps growing.
Trump-appointed Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, was recently in Delhi. Count the number of times he talks about democracy and rights in his short interview with ThePrint’s Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta. An isolationist Trump may not have cared about democracy, but the Democrats will be back to seeing mutual, shared democratic values of religious freedom, tolerance and democracy as underpinning the India-US relationship. A shared enemy in China alone is not enough.
Modi has also invested too heavily in Indian Americans, but with Kamala Harris as vice president, the Indian American community will not be seen as Modi’s army influencing US politics. More likely that the Hindu fundamentalist noise in the US election will irritate the Democratic leadership. None of this is good news for Modi.
Also read: More than two-thirds of Indian Americans likely to vote for Joe Biden, survey says
Why Trump wasn’t great for India
Donald Trump was very happy to address stadium full of crowds with Modi. He almost got an endorsement with Modi speaking the words “Abki Baar, Trump Sarkar (this time, vote Trump).” But if you look at issues, the Trump presidency hasn’t been great for India.
Trump’s inward-looking, isolationist stance has left the US’ friends such as India feeling betrayed. His protectionist policies have hurt the Indian economy and his xenophobia has hurt Indian immigration visa-seekers more than all the Muslim countries put together.
Donald Trump has forced India to not buy cheaper oil from Iran and Venezuela. (Trump thought Modi wouldn’t mind.) Trump forced India to buy more expensive oil and gas from the United States, even pushing for long-term commitments that aren’t viable. Despite the India-China border tensions, Donald Trump hasn’t given India waiver from an American law that threatens sanctions on countries purchasing arms from Russia.
Meanwhile, Trump raised tariffs on imports from India, on everything from steel to rubber, causing a “mini trade war” with India. He has removed preferential treatment given to Indian exports, further hurting the Indian economy at a time when it’s been bleeding. A host of changes to US visa policies have made it harder for US firms to hire Indians on H-1B work visas. This has hit the Indian outsourcing model hard.
India ratified the Paris climate accord in October 2016 under the presumption that the US will keep its word on the Green Climate Fund that would have invested in Indian renewables. But Trump didn’t want to shell out the money, and blamed India and China for walking out of the Paris Agreement.
Also read: Biden ahead in swing states, but pollsters say there’s a ‘shy Trump’ votebank to watch out for
Why Biden will be better for India than Trump
A Democrat administration in the US is expected to be more reasoned, mature and act towards India as if it were a friend and not club it with China and other countries on issues of trade, climate change, oil and defence exports.
The Trump administration’s growing hard-line on China has aligned well with India at a time of growing Chinese aggression at the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Trump also did take a hard line on Pakistan, if only to avoid giving money to Islamabad. Yet in the bargain, he also ceded space to Islamabad in the Afghanistan peace talks.
A Democrat administration is likely to go back to the drawing board on the US-Iran nuclear deal, opening up not just Iranian oil but also strategic space for India with Iran in the Middle East. A Biden-Harris presidency may also look differently at the Paris Agreement, visas for Indian workers, and so on. All things considered, Biden should be good for India, even if he’s less keen to see relations with India in the personalised format that Modi prefers, and see them more as government-to-government relations.
Also read: Affluent voters, presence in swing states — why Indian-Americans matter to both Trump & Biden
Trade deal over hugs
That is how it should be. Over-personalised diplomacy has backfired for Modi with Nawaz Sharif (Pakistan) and Xi Jinping (China), and his stadium rallies with Trump will be an embarrassment should Biden win.
Not that Modi’s personalised style was able to tame Trump, who frequently lashed out at India and mimicked Modi, insults we swallowed without a whimper. A Biden presidency won’t embarrass us with offers such as mediation on Kashmir. Just look at how Trump recently insulted India by saying it has ‘filthy air’ and Biden tweeted saying that’s not how you talk about friends.
It is time for India and the US to put their national interests above domestic politics at a time of great Chinese expansionism. India getting a good trade deal with the United States alone will be worth a lot more than the sort of civilian honours that countries like Russia helpfully give Modi before a general election.
The author is contributing editor to ThePrint. Views are personal.
Hd
Yeah be a good boy and listen as uncle sam dictates.
The author actually has same viewpoint as the current govt.Both want India to be a glorified chowkidar of US.
Irrespective of whatever ideologies indians follows they are united when it comes to US. All are US bhakts across political spectrum.Cheers to unity in diversity!
Yeah be a good boy and listen as uncle sam dictates.
The author actually has same viewpoint as the current govt.Both want India to be a glorified chowkidar of US.
Irrespective of whatever ideologies indians follows they are united when it comes to US. All are US bhakts across political spectrum.Cheers to unity in diversity!
why you are very obsessed with foreign hand in our policy . . because u think india is inferior to great America… but please see the black live matter movement.. they have too skeleton in their closets. Great leftist has promised to other india nationalists or any their with 100 million dollars grant . surely print was received substantially amount … i am happy money is coming to india .. but not on foreign hand in shaping policy. .. i will be called bhakt by you guys. I am for India . but hatreds towards Modi has transformed leftist to brink of hatred towards country or not caring to see whether this hurt india or not .
This is such an ill-informed article.
The only thing more I’ll-informed is the silly comment by Kamala Harris “We have to remind the Kashmiris that they are not alone in the world. We are keeping a track on the situation. There is a need to intervene if the situation demands“.
She clearly has no understanding of the ethnic make-up of Kashmiris. Kashmiris are not just Muslims. There are Hindus, Buddhists, Gujjars, other Scheduled Castes and Tribes, all of who were systematically marginalized by abuse of the article 370. Please read up about the Roshni Act and how it was misused to perpetrated the biggest land scam in Kashmir. And while you are at it, kindly ask madam Harris to also get her facts right.
Also, it’s laughable that Obama has the audacity to lecture India about tolerance when in his own country there are are white supremists and tons of crimes based on race. Please get your own house in order before trying to lecture India.
And those misguided Indians who think the lectures of some American President are gospel truth, please wake up, and grow a spine. Just because some American says something, that doesn’t necessarily make it right.
Jai Hind!
Great Article!! Well written and facts are to the point. First nail has been hit to BJP coffin today by Biden.. Very interesting!! Thank you SHIVAM VIJ!!
Care to explain.
As long as we are there how do you think BJP will lose. Do you think the general, rural mass like us care about Biden or Joe. Do you think we care if Modi is the PM or not?
All matters to us is BJP winning the northern states like UP, Haryana, HP and others like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, MP, Karnataka and the NE including W Bengal & Bihar.
That’s all is required for BJP to run this country.
The usual visceral Tamil comment on a article which is just anti BJP and little more. Whatever ones like or dislikes Modi remains popular with the majority of Indiana as we saw in Bihar recently. Tamilnadu can allow in its manufactured identity and filmi politics. It would make no difference to India.
Well the comment section gave me more political insight then the article did.
Totally biased article
This article os a paod Article by congress and The print is a congress funded media so its a bootlicker of congress and anti-hindu these dolts are always anti- india. The owner of this media should be beaten badly
Why is print so obsessed with Modi. In a way these guys are actually helping Modi to gain publicity without BJP’s efforts. This writeup is trash.
If not good foe modi, then not good for Indian also……..
Honestly I haven’t read the complete article. And even more honestly, not more than the title and the first three comments. The assertion that ‘Biden as president will be good for India, perhaps not that good for Modi’ is as stupid as it is malevolent. Of course there is a lot to do while trying to pull a country out of a blackhole into which it has been pushed into by the dynasty led congress government and the many also rans who filled in, in between.
While Lal Bahadur Sastri was in office for too short a period one does acknowledge that the nation would have been put on the right track if he had continued for his full term. And then P V Narasimha Rao also did a great thing by turning around the economy and preventing the nation being sucked away by the blackhole. There after it is only Narendra Modi who has been able to do anything for the nation as a whole, though, working with a totally rusted bureaucracy and judiciary, his priorities have been more for political survival than reforming both which is essential for true development and peace.
As far as America is concerned it always had its priorities based on one perception only- its domination of the world. India was only a big market for its products, from Coca Cola to war machines. Nothing more, nothing less.
This shows the extent of influence jihadis had on leftist in India
Aghast with the anti india language by one of so called Young writers of Print. Millions Hindus made to exit ftom Kashmir , No word on it. Shame on the selective language. Hindu fundamentalism !!!!.. that’s what you saw in Nice and Vienna?..
95% of Indian public doesn’t agree with this left wing idiology opinion
I’m pretty sure it’s written by congress+Jihadi+Communist type of people
Which was rejected by India so badly remember 2014 & 2019
Now your progapanda won’t work
An unashamedly biased article. CAA protest was carefully planned to develop into a Muslim uprising and the reaction was touted as Hindu backlash. The left liberal gang used it to settle score with BJP and seek support of the western media. Print, like most other news portals, has become a vehicle for peddling leftist propaganda
This Is Called Islamaphobia. Muslim are minorities In India and and there is no supporting evidence that there is an uprising. This is all hoax by the BJPs.
Hope INDIA- US ties will continue to be normal .
The author of this article is an example of brainless control freak and perhaps not fit to even write poems for children. Why do these guys even exist?
No one gona help you in this world if you don’t take stand for youself. India must not depend on single nation for anything.Modi led government has demonstrated that at many platforms
Every body knows. Print is not media but a propaganda machine. Shekhar is not honest and honesty is not in his blood
I hope the author got his payments on time…
The shallowness of understanding of some of these so called analysts is astounding. It doesn’t matter if its Obama, Trump, Biden, or Harris. This isn’t a school playground. Even if Biden wins, he can’t disregard the fact that 70 million or more Americans voted for Trump, among those more blacks and latinos than voted for him in 2016. What these people want is secure borders, healthcare, and employment. The only people who give two shits about Biden’s relations with Modi are the few privileged college kids and the tiny Indian minority. Apart from that, the Democrats can’t be seen as hobnobbing with terrorist states especially when they know that the Republicans would jump on that to discredit them with the vast majority of conservative voters, both Democrat and Republican spread across the country.
Biased article. Doesn’t even mention that Pakistan awarded Biden with a civilian award. And Kashmir is part of India and always will be. That’s what Indians want. If Biden doesn’t want that he’s not hugging ‘ India’ not just ‘Modi’
Modi isn’t India but Indira is. This is what Shivam Vij wanted to say but he can’t be so open in public space..
Mr VIJ should be in Jail for calling hindu fundamentalist. Actually Vij is Sharia-Bolshevik. He is Andh Namazee.
Trump was Good for India Bad for Islamic terrorists and Naxal Symphethiser. Now your Daddy Jo Biden has come. Go and complain.
Leftist Liberals still crying. US needs India more than India needs US. Whether Biden or Trump, US in general wants to counter China. India is a democratic country and neither US nor any other country can decide what our parliament passes as law. Grow up and accept that India is now going towards what it should always been moving towards. A country where a majority of people get peace which is their birth right without worrying about a violent minority dominating them through fear and blackmail.
Very well said. US definitely need INDIA more than India need US. On Kashmir issue, talking about relgious freedom is an absurd. Is not religious freedom imporatnt for Kashmiri pandits. Why the writer is silent on this. Religious fredom in our country is far better than US or any other democratic country. If religious freedom was in trouble in India how minorities poulation is growing regularly. Is this biased writer know how minorities strength is made nominal in PAK. Kamala Harris may have spoken on Kashmir issue earlier, but being in a responsible postition now, she has to make her stand clear on Terror attacks sponsored by Pak, atrocities on Kashmiri pundits by local Fundamenatal Islamists supported by Pak. Religious freedom is very much safe Under Modi Rule. Only APPEASEMENT based on religion is not there under MODI rule. So, for this biased author all these aspects are NOT RECOGNISED. So Biden and Harris can not dare to meddle with the internal matters of India. If Harris is sincere about religious freedom, let her deal with PAK where Minorities are vanishing day by day. Dear writer do not PREACH, better open your eyes and see. Spread your EARS and hear.
A deduction from this article’s title is :
“Modi is perhaps not that good for India”.
I fully agree!
It is your thinking and that is not acceptable to many in India and else where. It is insulting to the majority of Indian population and the largest democracy on earth, who have in a democratic way chosen Mr. Modi as their leader. Mr. Trump recognized this fact and took India’s side against terrorism being confronted by India from the hostile religious country mostly ruled by dictators. U.S.A policy if continued on different lines as under previous regimes / Presidents, of which Mr. Biden gives hints, will not be good for the world . He will have to show some respect to Mr. Modi and India, a democracy much more larger than U.S.A.
Modi is India and India is Modi, defending conversion of hindu nation to a muslim nation is a must, but congress, specifically imposture Indians like Sonia gandhi is bacteria eating India, Modi is the the only way to clean India and make it free from the disease called Nehru family. Doesnt matter, What happens in India stays in India
Well I think , Biden will be more predictable than trump, and his acts or thinking will be against Indian strategies like abrogation of 370, CAA nad NRC, previously as a presidential candidate!
But when he will be the president, he has to work according to the Pentagon, NATO, and his allies!!
Europe is facing radical islamic terrorism, and wants to deploy CAA there!!
QUAD, is a strong tie made in South china sea to counter china!!
Usa is not like india , a govt change and old strategies goes to the drop box! Yes there may be conceptual differences between modi and biden, but he has to follow the alies and Pentagon!!
Now a days US is on the verge of losing super power status, they need strong alies to retain the status!!! They know, modi is a great statesman he has maintained good relation with Russia! And if he finds something bad with usa the communist nation Russia will join hands with india and make a triad even with china!! Long standing policy of Russia!!
And being a nationalite leader!! What modi says nation will follow!! So BIDEN has to put his step very carefully, because being a contender whatever he can say,but being a president he needs to be more concern with his talks regarding indian policy!!
If 3 nations, india ,Russia and China join hands then it will be too dreadful for US, and Pentagon will never let this thing happen!!
At last I want to say that, world salutes to a rising sun!! For a growing democratic nation you need nationalism! Modi has did that , simply it is the world who has to understand that!!
Totally Biased and one sided, Congress is not a good party and everyone knows that. Stop covering for them.
How can India be separated from Modi?
When did Mullah Muhammad Modi even represent India? he is a PM only for Pakistani language (Hindi/Urdu) speaking people. He is a dancing puppet of his master Xi Jinping.
LIKE JOE BIDEN GETTING HILLAL I NISAR IN 2015 FROM PAKISTAN
Hindi is same as Sanskrit
If you don’t know then pls don’t bark
No Hindi is same as Islamic Mosque and Pakistani language. Pakistani language Hindi is not Sanskrit. Continue to Bark the Islamic Pakistani way.
“Modi isn’t India and India isn’t Modi.” True.
But the same legion of people went about saying “Indira is India and Inda is Indira” during old times.
As usual, the Democratic Liberal hypocrisy is insurmountable.
Modi gave same treatment to Obama.. similar to trump.. and why is ur article is too much into Modi. .India is crucial for USA.. and current times, USA cant afford losing out india.. and modi rules india.. at least for 4 years.. a full term of probably biden.. so, Biden and Modi will find a way.. dont worry..
Correct print is more worried about modi than india….this print is a left biased newspaper and is having no future until they end their biases and be true
Like always one more Hinduphobic or I Say Modiphobic, starting a propaganda…but You see it does not matter who becomes US president …Modi will only do what benefits India most…and you won’t understand that so Okay
Vij, Grow up man. Such an immature article. It was some people who were commenting that it was Modi who was dancing around when Obama came to India with bonhomie spirits. Came Trump, Modi gave equal treatment. Who comes as a President of America is not a matter to decide on the country’s political course. Modi is elected by Indians and US President is elected by the 52 states there. Stop talk nonsense, Vij. Your hatred towards Modi may be there but leave the US elections and the relationship with India is a different matter.
Modi is India and India is Modi.
Mullah Muhammad Narendra Modi India is China and Pakistan proxy. He is the same boat of crooks as his partners in Congress and BJP.
Total crap article. Democracy has been liberal under the Modi govt. It has been under great threat and free speech hampered only under congress govt’s. Indira Gandhi, UPA , under the current Maharashtra govt.
If democracy means subjugating Hindu interests while appeasing others, then yes that kind of democracy and liberalism has been under threat. But then only a sick mind like yours can define it in this manner.
What an AntiModi lines by print . We are not such afools to believe all these stuff , he just made a revolution in the world to make india greater .
Go and praise pappu.
How does it matter?, both of them along with their larger circles of friends in Bharat Jihadi Party and Khangress are the same gang of crooks. Nothing gets changed if these parties swap places.
The writer Shivam should be arrested and jailed for demeaning Hindus .
Without any concrete proof words like Hindu fundamentalism is used.
#JailShivam
He should be arrested as he speaks wrong about hinduism and when french spoke bad about Islam then we should keep quiet. Similarly when muslim artist portrayed nude idols of goddess he was exiled and when idiots cartoonise prophets of Islam they are just using freedom of expression …wtf has happened to us
Atleast hindus never chop off peoples head .or else what would have happened to M F Hussain
He should have called pseudo Hindu Islamic Taqiyya fundamentalism given that Muhammad Mullah Narendra Modi and Amit Shah Nawaz and the whole Bharat Jihadi Party are proxy Islamist.
Of course Islamic Origin language Hindi / Urdu which BJP limits itself to also has nothing to do with Hinduism.
I’m 100% sure you are a Dravidian idiology virus
I’am 100% sure you are an Islamic Jihadist virus straight out of a brainwashing madrassah.
This column is written by some anti national. Why can’t you giluys go and start this Print from Lahore
Same news posted. Caa, nrc, 370 is India’s internal matter. If question aries in un, Russia will apply their veto and the issue will dissolve. Poor American. Lol.
History has shown that in the last three decades, Republican Presidents have been good for India. Shri Shivam Vij should not let his hatred for Shri Narendra Modi cloud his judgement on what is good for the nation.
Can you post/write for Human rights situation in Kashmir for pandits. Thousands of them are killed raped and lost everything. Now they are forced to live miserable life in streets of Delhi. So called Secularists(hhhhh) why don’t you never write on this,.
What exactly is ‘Hindu’ fundamentalism when an Islamic Prime Minister Narendra Mullah Modi and an Islamic party BJP is in power ??? Clearly the language which BJP or its partner Khangress speaks in the Islamic originated language Hindi / Urdu and they dont want infidels languages in India.
It seems that THE PRINT even forgot the very Islamic origin of Hindi.
BJP is ISLAMIC PARTY under a HINDU GUISE, may be FAKE HINDU fundamentalism is the correct word.
First of all change the Headline…Modi is India and India is Modi also India not depends on anyone
What a bullshit? Is this written by some Pakistani Journalist?