Narendra Modi has been wise not to let Pakistan and Pulwama ruin ties with Saudi Arabia. And he's only pursuing a Manmohan Singh initiative energetically.
The Indian govt was insistent that the Saudis insert Pakistan’s name in the joint statement ‘at any cost’ after the Pulwama attack, said diplomatic sources.
There are people inside and outside of Iran who do not feel sorry for President Raisi’s death. Some of them are trying to take advantage of this tragedy to pursue their own political goals.
Petrol & diesel prices have barely changed since June 2022, even though oil prices have fallen 28% since then. This has boosted profitability of OMCs and dividend payouts to govt.
ThePrint had reported earlier this month that while theaterisation is the ultimate goal, set to be rolled out one year from now, the focus is on structured jointness initiatives by 2024-end.
Discussion about outcome of Lok Sabha polls continues to boil in cauldron of expectations only from BJP. Now reverse this equation, what if we asked about the performance of the 'loser'?
Why is there a need for a hug every time? Why it can’t be just a handshake? And please stop bashing with “5000 years of culture” excuse. That hugging and salaams is the reason we are put in “3rd class” citizen list. You want respect, you give respect. We have enough population to serve our economy, no need to kiss up to those middle easterners / Europeans / Americans. We can create leverage in the form of goods and services, automatically if those people need to satiate their hunger, they will come to us.
The Shah of Iran said that if the people of Iran behaved like the Swedes, he too would be like the King of Sweden. In India we had Dr. Manmohan Singh, it’s a pity that the First Family, Congress and most of all we Indians could not rise up to the occasion and get the best out of the person.
This is a brilliant piece by Shekhar in the national interest and Congress party should definitely read this. There is no doubt that successive governments have done well to improve our relations with GCC countries and Modi has done well to visit Isreal and Palestine as well. Today, Isreal, GCC including Qatar and Iran are good friends with India, thanks to Modi. Modi has been mature enough to de-hyphenate Phulwama from MBS visit to Pakistan and focus on strategic aspects with Saudi. In fact, India should now learn to behave like a big country and punish Pakistan without looking for support from any other countries. The world will respect us if we do so on our terms and not look to them for support. While we should make all diplomatic noises, it is our hard actions on our strength will be required. Isreal or China will not cry and look around for support when its interest are affected, they will hit the enemy hard. Pusillanimous behavior by India in the past is the reason why Pakistan takes us for granted.
Why to fritter away energies and time over trifles questioning protocol or breach of protocol ?
The fact remains to be seen how much either worthwhile or fruitful NaMo HUG with MBS
proves ?
Earlier, NaMo’s ” HUGPLOMACY ” for instance with US President Donald Trump has not
at all reaped any dividends, not attracting favourable response from the United States of
America in any regard ! I shall not dwell on other NaMo hugs now confining myself only to
the big one with Trump !
Helpless and poor NaMo grappling with the situation in a bid to wriggle out of the desperation,
disappointment and panic obviously his own creations during almost quarter to five years of
his totalitarian regime ! Leaving nothing to chance crazily to be in the hot seat for the second term
is trying every damn trick up his sleeves !
Never mind Congress objections and jibes on either the hug or the reception. THIS is exactly how a Congress/UPA, or whatever else, PM would have received MBS. They are taunting Modi because they have run out of the Rafale steam and they have NOTHING else on their plate. Sheer hypocrisy, that’s all.
And thus marches on another pen soldier of the Modi Shah brigade, maybe a counter part to Tavleen Singh. Your recent writings, interestingly all onModi, make for an enlightening reading. Here is a sample – Rafael is no scam just minor issue in messed up communication from govt, opposition doesn’t have a leader, Modi impleemented great economic initiatives, and so on. Do you see any real fault in the great leader? Any at all? Or Would you go on to suggest whole country to start reading Adventures of Bal Narendra?
All your past examples are fine and agreed that it was MMS who broke protocol in national interest. Its not necessary that he follow him as if he follows his other good qualities. If you and team how Modi was critical of every and even good actions. Having said this I am not saying that what Congress has said is right. But in the national why could not have broken the protocol and shared his anguish the way our jawans were killed by Pak sponsored act.
Main reason for India pampering the Saudi kings is that they are the employer of more than 3 million Indians who remit perhaps more than 10 billion dollars to India every year. Only one Muslim country in the world has nuclear weapons, and that is Pakistan, and that is a Sunni country; Saudi Arabia too is a Sunni country; Pakistan is poor, SA is rich. If two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle were to fit nicely, they couldn’t have fitted more nicely than P and SA. Abdul Qadeer Khan used to say that Saudi Arabia wanted to buy a nuclear weapon from Pakistan like we buy shampoo off the shelf. Intellectuals and diplomats can do torrential brain storming over what SA ought to say to P about terrorism, or what SA should say about P’s role in another P, which is Pulwama, in a joint statement in India etc — all this is insignificant chatter like corona chatter between two electric lines in a silent night. Nothing can change the tight bonhomie between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. When Imran Khan personally drove prince MBS in his car, I am sure they wouldn’t have talked about the agenda of the talks and mundane stuff like that. Who knows, Imran Khan might have regaled the young prince with his mischievous nights in London when he also played cricket!
One constructive takeaway is that foreign policy outlives administrations. A lot of thought and creativity have gone into forging mutually beneficial relationships – including the one with Saudi Arabia – which at one time may have seemed a little implausible. Acknowledging from time time, on appropriate occasions, good work done in the past is a graceful thing to do. India has always been respected in most parts of the world for being much more than the sum of its parts. That was not about individuals, although no one has done more to raise India’s stature in the eyes of the world than PM Jawaharlal Nehru.
Why is there a need for a hug every time? Why it can’t be just a handshake? And please stop bashing with “5000 years of culture” excuse. That hugging and salaams is the reason we are put in “3rd class” citizen list. You want respect, you give respect. We have enough population to serve our economy, no need to kiss up to those middle easterners / Europeans / Americans. We can create leverage in the form of goods and services, automatically if those people need to satiate their hunger, they will come to us.
When are we going to learn?
The Shah of Iran said that if the people of Iran behaved like the Swedes, he too would be like the King of Sweden. In India we had Dr. Manmohan Singh, it’s a pity that the First Family, Congress and most of all we Indians could not rise up to the occasion and get the best out of the person.
What is the proof of these imaginations conceived in the article?
This is a brilliant piece by Shekhar in the national interest and Congress party should definitely read this. There is no doubt that successive governments have done well to improve our relations with GCC countries and Modi has done well to visit Isreal and Palestine as well. Today, Isreal, GCC including Qatar and Iran are good friends with India, thanks to Modi. Modi has been mature enough to de-hyphenate Phulwama from MBS visit to Pakistan and focus on strategic aspects with Saudi. In fact, India should now learn to behave like a big country and punish Pakistan without looking for support from any other countries. The world will respect us if we do so on our terms and not look to them for support. While we should make all diplomatic noises, it is our hard actions on our strength will be required. Isreal or China will not cry and look around for support when its interest are affected, they will hit the enemy hard. Pusillanimous behavior by India in the past is the reason why Pakistan takes us for granted.
An excellent summation, as always by Shekhar Gupta, of Real Politik!
Prof PK Sharma, Freelance Journalist, Barnala (Punjab)
Why to fritter away energies and time over trifles questioning protocol or breach of protocol ?
The fact remains to be seen how much either worthwhile or fruitful NaMo HUG with MBS
proves ?
Earlier, NaMo’s ” HUGPLOMACY ” for instance with US President Donald Trump has not
at all reaped any dividends, not attracting favourable response from the United States of
America in any regard ! I shall not dwell on other NaMo hugs now confining myself only to
the big one with Trump !
Helpless and poor NaMo grappling with the situation in a bid to wriggle out of the desperation,
disappointment and panic obviously his own creations during almost quarter to five years of
his totalitarian regime ! Leaving nothing to chance crazily to be in the hot seat for the second term
is trying every damn trick up his sleeves !
Prof PK Sharma, Freelance Journalist
Pom Anm Nest,Barnala (Punjab)
Never mind Congress objections and jibes on either the hug or the reception. THIS is exactly how a Congress/UPA, or whatever else, PM would have received MBS. They are taunting Modi because they have run out of the Rafale steam and they have NOTHING else on their plate. Sheer hypocrisy, that’s all.
And thus marches on another pen soldier of the Modi Shah brigade, maybe a counter part to Tavleen Singh. Your recent writings, interestingly all onModi, make for an enlightening reading. Here is a sample – Rafael is no scam just minor issue in messed up communication from govt, opposition doesn’t have a leader, Modi impleemented great economic initiatives, and so on. Do you see any real fault in the great leader? Any at all? Or Would you go on to suggest whole country to start reading Adventures of Bal Narendra?
No , whole country should only read Adventures of Bal Rahul, and now Balika Priyanka too !!!
Nice article with depth in analysis!
All your past examples are fine and agreed that it was MMS who broke protocol in national interest. Its not necessary that he follow him as if he follows his other good qualities. If you and team how Modi was critical of every and even good actions. Having said this I am not saying that what Congress has said is right. But in the national why could not have broken the protocol and shared his anguish the way our jawans were killed by Pak sponsored act.
Main reason for India pampering the Saudi kings is that they are the employer of more than 3 million Indians who remit perhaps more than 10 billion dollars to India every year. Only one Muslim country in the world has nuclear weapons, and that is Pakistan, and that is a Sunni country; Saudi Arabia too is a Sunni country; Pakistan is poor, SA is rich. If two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle were to fit nicely, they couldn’t have fitted more nicely than P and SA. Abdul Qadeer Khan used to say that Saudi Arabia wanted to buy a nuclear weapon from Pakistan like we buy shampoo off the shelf. Intellectuals and diplomats can do torrential brain storming over what SA ought to say to P about terrorism, or what SA should say about P’s role in another P, which is Pulwama, in a joint statement in India etc — all this is insignificant chatter like corona chatter between two electric lines in a silent night. Nothing can change the tight bonhomie between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. When Imran Khan personally drove prince MBS in his car, I am sure they wouldn’t have talked about the agenda of the talks and mundane stuff like that. Who knows, Imran Khan might have regaled the young prince with his mischievous nights in London when he also played cricket!
One constructive takeaway is that foreign policy outlives administrations. A lot of thought and creativity have gone into forging mutually beneficial relationships – including the one with Saudi Arabia – which at one time may have seemed a little implausible. Acknowledging from time time, on appropriate occasions, good work done in the past is a graceful thing to do. India has always been respected in most parts of the world for being much more than the sum of its parts. That was not about individuals, although no one has done more to raise India’s stature in the eyes of the world than PM Jawaharlal Nehru.