Prime Minister Narendra Modi heaped praises on US President Donald Trump during the #HowdyModi event. He introduced the POTUS to his ‘family’ of the thousands and thousands of people of Indian origin who had gathered at Houston. Significantly enough, Modi mentioned both of their trademark catchphrases which will no doubt cause many heartburns.
“Make America Great Again,” said Narendra Modi although he cloaked it effectively by using it in a longer sentence. At another point, while talking about when Trump was a candidate, he said, “Abki Baar Trump Sarkar,” a phrase Donald Trump had used to endear himself to the Indian American community during his presidential campaign. This wasn’t Narendra Modi campaigning for Donald Trump or endorsing him as President as some would like to believe. This was Narendra Modi sending a message to those who wish to interfere in the internal affairs of India: Words have consequences.
The US in 2019 is a deeply divided country. Thus, Narendra Modi embracing Donald Trump and praising him effusively when he is a deeply polarizing figure in American politics does carry a significant message for Trump’s political opponents as well. It also demonstrates how the Indian government perceives the current crop of Democrats attempting to defeat Trump in 2020.
Those who have been keeping a watch on American politics will know that the Democrat party has been hijacked by a radical bunch of Postmodernist Leftists whose opinions and policy statements are at odds with stability and prosperity. It has made Trump’s reelection bid much easier and they are taking policy positions that are making them extremely unpopular with the average American. And with the comments they made following the abrogation of Article 370, they have made Democrats unpopular with important allies of the United States such as India.
To be clear, Narendra Modi has also shared a turbulent relationship with Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump’s rival in the 2016 Presidential elections. Therefore, heaping effusive praises on Donald Trump could very well be Narendra Modi’s way of gloating on Hillary’s defeat. It might be his way of paying one of the most corrupt US politicians to ever run for office in her own coin. It’s no secret that Hillary Clinton wanted to “get Modi” in connection with the 2002 Gujarat riots.
In 2014, retired US officials had revealed that “during the tenure in office of Secretary Clinton, several expert teams in the guise of NGOs were sent to Gujarat to try and find mass graves”. “Hillary Clinton likes to operate through NGOs, which are given funding through indirect channels, and which target individuals and countries seen as less than respectful to her views on foreign and domestic policy in the target countries,” it was further revealed.
One retired official claimed that “rather than US NGOs, (the former) Secretary of State Clinton favoured operating through organizations based in the Netherlands, Denmark and the Scandinavian countries, especially Norway” as these were outside the radar of big power politics. It was also claimed that these NGOs were responsible for the protests against the Kudankulam nuclear power plant protests. Foreign interference in these protests is something that even then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had claimed at the time. Therefore, it’s no wonder that Narendra Modi had scores to settle with Hillary Clinton.
It is also pertinent to mention here that Sonia Gandhi’s NAC which had drafted the anti-Hindu Communal Violence Bill comprised of members who were associated with various foreign funded NGOs. Therefore, it’s not difficult to imagine a situation where Hillary Clinton pursued her policy objectives through these very same NGOs which had their men in Sonia Gandhi’s NAC. Furthermore, since taking office, Modi Sarkar has waged a war against FCRA NGOs. Therefore, some much-needed medication for the Corrupt Clinton was definitely on the cards.
Having said that, the current bunch of Democrat Presidential hopefuls with the notable exception of Tulsi Gabbard and to a lesser extent, Joe Biden, are rabidly anti-India. It’s not surprising considering the fact that Islamists are one of their most important voter-base. Some of them have even been elected to the US House of Representatives. And in the Democratic Primaries, prominent Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders has been taking the Jihadist line on Kashmir after being sucked into it by the likes of Ilhan Omar.
Even on Sunday, crazy old Bernie thought it was a good idea to needle the Indian Prime Minister with his opinions on Kashmir. He wrote in an article, “The Modi-Trump rally is happening at a moment when the state of Kashmir remains under lockdown. In early August, Modi’s government unilaterally revoked Kashmir’s longstanding autonomy, has cracked down on dissent, jailed political leaders and instituted a communications blackout.”
He went on to assert, ” I believe the U.S. president must speak clearly in support of international humanitarian law and in support of a UN-backed peaceful resolution between India and Pakistan that respects the will of the Kashmiri people.” He also condemned Trump for abandoning what he calls the USA’s “global leadership role”. He also promised to “make the promotion of democracy and human rights a priority for the United States.”
Now, it is understandable why Narendra Modi wouldn’t take kindly to it. India cannot have anyone meddling with its internal affairs. It’s something the New India will not tolerate. Therefore, it demanded a response and a response is what the Democrats received at Houston.
Bernie Sanders has made such comments on Kashmir earlier as well. He called India’s actions “unacceptable” and that “and the communications blockade must be lifted immediately, and the US government must be speak out boldly in support of international humanitarian live and in support of a UN backed peaceful resolution”. This was after Ilhan Omar, another prominent face of the Democrats with a very shady past, made similar remarks on Kashmir.
Omar said, “We should be calling for an immediate restoration of communication; respect for human rights, democratic norms, and religious freedom; and de-escalation in Kashmir. International organizations should be allowed to fully document what is happening on the ground.” Other than these two, numerous other Democrats had made very problematic remarks on Kashmir that, no doubt, made the Indian government extremely wary of them. Therefore, a response had to be made.
If all of this were not enough, George Soros, a prominent Democrat donor who has time and again interfered in the internal affairs of various countries through his network of NGOs, met with Imran Khan at around the same time. From the perspective of the Indian government, this was a major Democrat Donor colluding with an enemy. It is also pertinent to remember that many FCRA NGOs that receive foreign funds from George Soros have been trying to further political objectives in India.
Prime Minister Imran Khan’s meeting this morning with George Soros pic.twitter.com/XZFA5dWwNl
— Maleeha Lodhi (@LodhiMaleeha) September 22, 2019
Thus, quite naturally, the Indian government believes Donald Trump is much better for Indian national interests than the Democrats looking to unseat him. Donald Trump’s trade war with China is also extremely conducive to boost the Indian economy. We have been saying at OpIndia.com that we will see more and more cooperation between the two countries as the US takes on the Chinese regime. It is inevitable as India is the only regional power that can stand up to China. We demonstrated it admirably during the confrontation with the Chinese at Doklam.
Under sich circumstances, the Democrat leadership alienated the Indian administration, something it really shouldn’t have done. Combined with the turbulent relationship that Narendra Modi shares with Hillary Clinton, Trump is the bullet that he used to drive a point home. The Democrats hate Trump, they can’t stand him at all. Thus, by embracing him and showering him with compliments, Narendra Modi has sent an important message.
Do not interfere with the internal affairs of India. We are a sovereign country, the custodian of a civilization with a 5000-year-old history. We shall not tolerate attempts to infringe upon our sovereignty. We respect the internal matters of other countries and we expect them to observe the same courtesy in their relationship with us. We do not seek to impose our values on other countries and we shall not tolerate anyone attempting to impose their values on us. If such terms are violated, a response will be served. To Hillary Clinton, the message was simple, Vengeance is a dish best served cold.
Many people are speculating that Democrats will turn hostile against India should they return to power next year or in 2024. However, their concerns appear to be misguided. In 2020, Donald Trump appears set for reelection. It is extremely unlikely that the Democrats will be able to win the Presidency given their conduct in the past couple of years.
By 2024, India will be in a much stronger position and the Democrat establishment may well not be in a position to hurt India in manner. Thus, Narendra Modi made a calculated gamble that four more years of Trump will give India enough of a window to establish ourselves firmly in the global arena thus neutering the threat of a severe Democrat backlash.
