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There has historically been mistrust in the relationship between India and America. It is said that both the countries cannot live without each other and cannot live together. In recent times, there have been open disagreements between the two countries on many issues. This time the issue was not international but India’s own political issues. When Narendra Modi government implemented the Citizenship Amendment Act before the general elections, America openly expressed its disagreement on it. America also commented when Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by ED in an alleged corruption case. Even when India’s main opposition party Congress took on the Modi government in a press conference regarding freezing of its bank accounts, America came forward openly. Most recently, the US Embassy in Delhi had organized an Iftar party for Kashmiris. Supporters of Narendra Modi government and some analysts saw all these developments as against BJP and India and in support of the opposition.
Who is America supporting?
Strategic affairs expert Brahma Chellaney wrote, “Team Biden tried to interfere in the Bangladesh elections. Under this, America imposed a visa ban against the officials of Bangladesh. But after Sheikh Hasina’s victory, America tried to increase rapprochement. Now America is trying to interfere in India’s election process.
US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti had expressed concern over the implementation of CAA in India at the India Today Conclave last month, saying that America cannot give up its principles because of its friendship with any country.
Eric Garcetti said on March 15, “Religious freedom is the foundation of democracy and America cannot abandon it.” We cannot give up our principles because of friendship and closeness to someone. In matters of principles, it does not matter how deep our relations are and how much enmity we have with whom. We stand by our principles. If there is something wrong with our democracy, I invite you too to highlight it. This is not a one-sided matter.
This statement of Eric Garcetti was rejected by India and said that America does not have correct information in this matter. Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said that this is an internal matter of India and the Constitution of India gives the right to religious freedom to all citizens.
When news agency ANI asked Eric Garcetti a question on his comments on CAA on Monday, he said, “Religious freedom is very important for any democracy. Protection of minorities is a fundamental thing of democracy and this is not a negative comment. It is my job to report what is happening in the country where I am ambassador. The Indian ambassador will also be reporting.
Is America really against Modi government?
On the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller had said, “We will continue to closely monitor these actions, including the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The US will ensure fair, transparent and timely completion of legal processes.” “supports it and doesn’t think anyone should have any objection to it.”
On Congress’ bank accounts being frozen, Matthew Miller had said, “We are also aware of the Congress Party’s allegations that the Income Tax Department has frozen some of their bank accounts, making it challenging for them to campaign in the upcoming elections. We encourage fair, transparent and timely legal processes for each of these issues.”
India had also expressed strong objection to this comment of America and said that this is an internal matter of India.
Many people considered these comments of America to be in opposition to India and Modi government. Many people even started saying that America is supporting the opposition in India and opposing Narendra Modi.
Michael Kugelman is the director of the South Asia Institute at the think tank The Wilson Center. On March 28, he wrote on this dispute between India and America, “Today I was involved in a debate on Indian TV on the ongoing dispute between India and America regarding Kejriwal. A guest participating in this debate alleged that America is supporting the opposition in India. I don’t think America is supporting the opposition or any particular party in India. But this perception of America in India tells us why America’s values-based foreign policy is problematic.
Does America want a weak India?
In response to Kugelman’s comments, Tanvi Madan, a senior fellow at the think tank The Brookings Institution and an analyst of international politics, wrote, “It is ridiculous that some people in India think that the Biden administration is supporting Modi’s opponents. That too when Biden invited Narendra Modi as a state guest, helped make the G-20 summit in India a success and Biden came to India despite allegations of violation of American sovereignty in the Pannu case.
R Jagannathan, editorial director of the right-wing magazine Swarajya, responded to Tanvi Madan’s comment.
Jagannathan wrote, “America definitely wants a weak India so that it can support its policies in matters like Ukraine.” America does not want a strong India, which can protect its own interests. The issue is not whether America is supporting Modi’s opponents or not but America’s support is for a weak India.
Responding to R Jagannathan’s comment, Christopher Cleary, associate professor of political science at the University at Albany in New York, USA, asked, “If you believe this analysis, I think the question is whether India wants a weak America.” Is?”
In response to Clary’s question, Tanvi Madan wrote, “I think that some rightists and some leftists probably want to see a weaker America, but the Indian Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister have publicly said that they do not want to see America weakened.” Are. India wants America’s presence in this area to increase as much as possible and not decrease.
But international relations expert Zorawar Dulat Singh seems to agree with R Jagannathan’s words.
Taking Jagannathan’s point forward, he has written, “It is an established trick that America and other powerful countries want to create a network of such countries, which compromise their sovereignty and their security policy is subordinate to someone. ”
“This US-led network works for its own interests. On the other hand, India has been successful in forming a strategic partnership with America without losing its autonomy. Its credit lies in India’s permanent and independent geopolitical identity and nationalism. The American strategy is to control the emerging India so that it can secure its interests. This is a natural part of America’s foreign policy.
Arvind Kejriwal, Congress’ bank account freezing and America’s comments on CAA may be seen by many people in India as opposition to Narendra Modi, but in contrast, those comments of PM Modi are also being shared on social media, when he Had said something about America.
Question on Modi’s comment also
In September 2019, PM Modi did Howdy Modi program in Houston, Texas, America. Thousands of people participated in it. The then US President Donald Trump also came to this program.
In the presence of Trump itself, Narendra Modi had said – This time it is Trump government. Elections were going to be held in America only next year. This comment of Modi was seen against the Democratic Party and in support of Trump. The slogan of Narendra Modi’s campaign in 2014 was also similar – this time Modi government.
Many people had then reacted sharply to Modi’s slogan of ‘This time Trump government’.
Congress leader Anand Sharma had written, “Our relationship with America has been with the leadership of both parties. Whether there was a Republican or Democratic party government there. Your campaign for Trump is against both America and India as sovereign and democratic countries. Prime Minister, you have violated the principle of India’s foreign policy, under which we do not interfere in the elections of any country. This is against India’s interests.
Tanvi Madan also shared Modi’s Trump slogan and wrote – How do people forget things so quickly. Tanvi Madan has shared another comment of Narendra Modi. Modi had made this comment on January 6, 2021, when Trump supporters forcibly entered the US Congress and vandalized it against Biden’s victory.
On this incident in 2021, PM Modi had tweeted and said, “I am saddened to see the news of riots and violence in Washington DC.” A timely and peaceful transfer of power should continue. In the democratic process, things cannot be overturned through illegal protests.
While sharing this old tweet of PM Modi, Madan wrote, “Hope and encouragement towards the legal process is not a new thing in India-America relations.”
Distrust of America
America’s comments on the human rights situation in India, religious freedom, Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest and Congress’s account freeze are also being seen as increasing uneasiness with the Modi government.
Many people are also linking this uneasiness to President Biden not being the chief guest on India’s Republic Day. India had invited President Biden as the chief guest on Republic Day but Biden did not accept the invitation.
After the Second World War, when the world got divided into two poles under the leadership of Soviet Union and America, India was talking about non-alignment but ideologically was with the Soviet Union.
When India attacked Hungary in 1956, Czechoslovakia in 1968 and Afghanistan in 1979, India did not condemn it. Even when Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022, India did not condemn the attack. America never liked this attitude of India.
In 1957, a year after the Soviet Union’s intervention in Hungary, the then Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru told the Parliament why India did not condemn the USSR in this matter.
Nehru had said, “Many things happen in the world from year to year and day to day, which we widely dislike. But we have not condemned them because when someone is searching for a solution to a problem, condemnation does not help.
India’s distrust of America increased the most in 1971. Then Pakistani army attacked East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). China and America were with Pakistan then.
During this time, the then Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi had signed the Friendship Treaty with the Soviet Union. Richard Nixon had even sent a war ship to the Bay of Bengal in support of Pakistan. It is said that during that time anti-American sentiment was at its peak in India.
US President Richard Nixon had used objectionable words about Indira Gandhi. During the Cold War, Pakistan was openly in the American group and it benefited a lot from America, but the distrust in America increased in India, which has not completely ended even today.
