PM Modi Visit to the USA After Rahul Gandhi
The overall impression gained after the recent successive visits to the USA by PM Modi and, earlier, by Rahul Gandhi, is that the Khalistan issue is affecting relations between the Indian government and leading Western countries like the USA, UK, Canada and Australia.
During his visit from 8 to 10 September, Rahul Gandhi repeated concerns, shared by many international observers, about the worrying direction taken by Indian democracy since independence and especially, in the last few decades during BJP rule.
During his three-day visit to the USA from 21 to 23 September, PM Modi attended the Quad &ndash a strategic USA, India, Japan and Australia grouping - leaders summit addressed Indian American community in Long Island and, he spoke at the UN Summit of the Future.
As a senior Indian observer noted, PM Modi represents the Indian government and not necessarily India. That distinction is important. So, when policies of the Indian government are criticized abroad, that does not mean that the desire to keep good relations with India is not there. In a different context, that argument applies to most Sikhs regardless of their views about the Sikh right to self-determination and how it should be exercised.
In fact, geo-politically, India is in a most strategic position and wields much global influence. The problem is that claims of Indian successes by PM Modi lose credibility, when measured against all sort of economic, employment, environmental, human rights and democratic etc indices.
Recently, a colleague sent some bullet points from an article published in The Economist of 10 August 2024. For example: India cannot fix its problems if the government keeps pretending they do not exist. Despite BJP expectations, in the general election, the party limped in with just 240 seats and formed a government only in coalition. The pandemic, according to official Indian government figures, killed half a million Indians. World Health Organisation estimate the toll at 10 times greater. The Global Hunger Index last year ranked India 111th out of 125 countries. India has been ranked 176th of 180 countries on the environment index. And so on.
PM Modi said that India was a land of opportunities to those who had left India seeking opportunities abroad. He said that every Indian has confidence in India and its achievements. He claimed that in just a decade 250 million people have been lifted out of poverty. He addressed the UN Summit of the Future and stressed that he represents the voice of 1.4 billion Indians, or one-sixth of humanity.
Notably, he also engaged with members of the Sikh community in New York while Khalistan continues to be a headlines topic. This is partly due to the lawsuit filed on 17 September, by Gurpatwant Singh Pannun of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). The suit demands damages for an alleged attempt to eliminate him in 2022. According to one report, Modi visit adds a significant geopolitical dimension to the timing of the lawsuit, filed in a US district court. Key Indian officials are accused of plotting to assassinate him in New York. The claim is based on the indictment of an Indian, Nikhil Gupta, in November 2022 by US federal prosecutors.
Finally, any movement in the name of freedom gets wider support only when rule of law breaks down and justice is delayed or denied. Such a movement will attract the victims of oppression and injustice and grow, especially in the diaspora. Root causes are bound affect international relations.
Gurmukh Singh OBE
Principal Civil Servant retd (UK)