Hypocrisy: After several self-goals, the US suddenly ‘praises’ Indian democracy!
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: It’s election season even in the US and no party can afford to antagonize the powerful, 4-million-strong, Indian-American community. So, after threatening, warning, and condemning India on various counts—Russia, Khalistan, Canada, human rights, Iran, etc.– in the last few months under pressure from its Liberal-Democrat-Secular (LibDemSec) power brokers–the Biden Administration suddenly realized it might lose out on the Indian-American voters.
President Joe Biden, 82, is trying to return to the White House after the November 2024 election bid against his Republican predecessor Donald Trump, 78.
So the US has now swung, pendulum-like, to the other end—keeping in mind the hundreds of thousands of Indian-American supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is widely believed to get a third term of five years on June 4 when the results of the ongoing parliamentary elections are declared.
After June 4, when the US President congratulates the Indian PM, he may also remind Modi that he (Biden) had sought his (Modi’s) autograph last year!
See the latest ‘American diamond’ and a sudden U-turn exposing the US’ poor attempts at mid-stream course correction after several self-goals. Of course, the US does not want India to get too close to Russia or settle its issues with China!
“Applauding the people of India for exercising their right to vote, the White House on Friday said there are not too many more vibrant democracies in the world than India,” the media reported on Saturday.
“Not too many more vibrant democracies in the world than India. And we applaud the Indian people for exercising, you know, their ability to vote, and to have a voice in their future government. And we wish them well throughout the process, of course,” White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby told reporters at a news conference in Washington.
Kirby was responding to a question on the ongoing seven-phase Indian elections, wherein over 969 million people are currently exercising their right to franchise at one million polling stations to elect 543 members of the Lok Sabha from thousands of candidates representing 2,660 registered political parties.
Responding to another question, he said the India-US relationship has strengthened under Prime Minister Narendra Modi in particular during the last three years of the Biden administration. “Our relationship with India is extremely close and getting closer,” he said.
“You saw it on a State visit (last visit). We launched all kinds of new initiatives, working on critical emerging technologies together, and bolstering and expanding the relevance of the Indo-Pacific quad, of course, which India is a part of. And then, just the people-to-people exchanges, and the military that we share with India,” Kirby said.
“It’s a very vibrant, very active partnership. We are grateful for Prime Minister Modi’s leadership,” said the White House official.
When asked if President Joe Biden believes that India and Japan are xenophobic countries, he replied in the negative and said the President was recently making a “broader point.”
“I mean, the President was making a broader point here about the vibrancy of our democracy, here in the United States, and how inclusive and participatory it is,” Kirby said.
