Monday, September 30, 2019

"Howdy Modi" Rally in Houston; Trump Impeachment

How have different people reacted to "Howdy Modi" rally in Houston? Does it signify that "Indian-Americans have arrived'? Why did thousands protested against Prime Minister Modi? Was it a big election rally for President Trump who is seeking re-election in 2020? Why did Prime Minister Modi endorse President Trump? Does it expose Indian-American community to charges of hypocrisy in that they vote for Democratic Party to protect their own rights as a minority while also supporting Modi whose policies in India are seen as anti-minorities?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) with President Donald Trump at "Howdy Modi" Rally in Houston

Why are some Hindu-American democrats like Ro Khanna trying to distance themselves from Modi? Why did Silicon Valley's Indian-American Khanna urged his fellow Hindu-Americans to "reject Hindutva"? Why did he join Pakistan Caucus in US Congress?

Congressman Ro Khanna with Prime Minister Imran Khan

Why have Democrats in US Congress started impeachment inquiry against President Trump? What prompted this action? Is it his interaction with Ukraine's President Zelensky where he sought to have his potential presidential election opponent Joe Biden and his son Hunter investigated for corruption? Why has Speaker Nancy Pelosi been so reluctant to do so until now? What are the chances that the US Senate with its Republican majority convict Trump?

Viewpoint From Overseas host Misbah Azam discusses these questions with Sabahat Ashraf (ifaqeer) and Riaz Haq (www.riazhaq.com)

https://youtu.be/-VHNUwXxJWs





Related Links:

Haq's Musings

South Asia Investor Review

"Howdy Modi" Rally in Houston

Silicon Valley's Indian-American Congressman Rejects Hindutva

Sonal Shah to Help Divide the Obama Victory Spoils

Rape of 8-year-old Asifa Bano in Kashmir

Imran Khan in Washington

Modi's Extended Lockdown in Indian Occupied Kashmir

Hinduization of India

Brievik's Hindutva Rhetoric

Indian Textbooks

India's RAW's Successes in Pakistan

Riaz Haq Youtube Channel

VPOS Youtube Channel

12 comments:

samir sardana said...

What is happening to the USA ? An Indian Tea seller and an Illiterate - is wishing a re-election for Trump ?

What are the Indian cyber coolies ?

Dindoo Hindoos drink Cow Piss and Cow Dung - as per the Vedas and the Mahabharata

SECTION III (Paushya Parva)

And that man addressed Utanka and said, 'Eat thou of the dung of this bull.' Utanka, however, was unwilling to comply. The man said again,
'O Utanka, eat of it without scrutiny. Thy master ate of it before.' And Utanka signified his assent and ate of the dung and drank of the
urine of that bull, and rose respectfully, and washing his hands and mouth went to where King Paushya was.

SECTION LXXVIII

One should never feel any repugnance for the urine and the dung of the cow.
One should always bathe, using cow-dung at the time. One should sit on dried cowdung.
One should never cast one's urine and excreta and other secretions on cowdung.

samir sardana said...

There is a magical curse on Modi which dooms all nations that he visits and dooms all those who come to meet him !

The "Chaiwala Indian Dindoo Hindoo PM", has the "curse of satan on" him. The Satanic Effect ,has "3 layers" :

 The people "who come to meet" the Chaiwala Indian Dindoo Hindoo PM in Dindoo Hindoo Land

 The "people who invite" the Chaiwala Indian Dindoo Hindoo PM to come to their nation

 The "nation and city visited" by the Chaiwala Indian Dindoo Hindoo PM

People say Y ? Simple ! The Dindoo Hindoo Bindoo PM of India is a Dindoo from the "lowest community of oilmen" (as per the Dindoo caste system) and is considered "the discharge,id.est., the sperm or the menstrual fluid" of Mlecchas (who are also considered scum)

The Mahabharata, Book 8: Karna Parva: Section 45

 The mlecchas are the dirt of mankind: the "oilmen are the dirt of the Mlecchas"; eunuchs are the dirt of oilmen; they who avail of the priestly ministrations of Kshatriyas, in their sacrifices, are the dirt of eunuchs.

The application of the "Theologically and Ontologically Tridented", Kant's approach, is as under:

 For White nations, who are "born of Sarah and the Isaac" - the Jews (from Isaac) and Christians (from Esau) the disaster strikes in "less than 3 months",of the visit of the Satanic Dindoo Hindoo Limpet PM of India (For example the state of Israel and the Templars of Christos and Christ - Spain, Portugal and now America) dindooohindoo

 For White nations, who are "not born of or do not follow",the faith of Sarah and Isaac - in the "70% plus majority" (like France,UK,Russia and Germany)-the disaster strikes in less than 6 months of the visit of the Satanic Dindoo Hindoo Limpet PM of India

 For Islamic nations who are born of "Hagar or Ishmael"-the disaster strikes,in "less than 3 months" of the date of "planning the visit" of the Satanic Dindoo Hindoo Limpet PM of India

 For Boodheeest nations - there are "no proximates" - as they are doomed by "definition, history,geography and theology"

 For Atheists - there is "immunity"

The "Aristotelian Dialectic", in the above approach,for the sons of Isaac is in the Old Testament and the Babylonian Talmud

The "Ghazali Dialectic", in the above approach,for the followers of Ishmael, would be the Koran and sections of the Hadeeth

The people who "come to meet" the Chaiwala Indian Dindoo Hindoo PM, in "Dindoo Hindoo Land"

 Theresa May came to meet Chaiwala Indian PM - "she walked barefoot" ( on her lovely legs - imagine that !)

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2136571/theresa-may-goes-barefoot-to-meet-indian-pm-narendra-modi-and-plays-hard-ball-over-illegal-immigrants/

 In 5 months . she "lost the election" and is a lameduck PM !

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/08/world/europe/theresa-may-britain-election-conservatives-parliament.html?mcubz=0&_r=0

 "Hollande" came to meet Chaiwala Indian PM (a human came from the land of Descartes,Molyneux and Voltaire)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/liveblog/50703340.cms

 His "party lost the election", and is in the Dustbin of history

https://www.ft.com/content/a4e5f15e-5442-11e7-80b6-9bfa4c1f83d2

Murali said...

Mr.Riaz it will only diminish the credibility of your site to allow such comments like above. Please remember that people can easily figure out the truth. If pakistanis want to live in a bubble nobody can stop it. Meanwhile your erstwhile east pakistan is going places

Murali said...

Dear Mr. Riaz, people like samir sardana are the ones creating a problem. If pakistan is smart they should strike a deal with India that POK is theirs while rest of J&K is india’s. Thats the best way resolve. Once that’s done, they should focus on becoming like singapore provided they put ppl of right vision to helm the country.

India will also be able to focus their energies on their own development. This is good even from a china perspective. They get access to a big market.

Sheikh Hasina is a good example of not allowing islamists to take over the narrative & her country is growing in leaps & bounds.

Islamists like Samir will sound the death knell of Pakistan & make it a medieval country. Pakistan should not keep bringing up RSS as they operate within india and among indians & pose no threat to others. Yes, much earlier there was mention about Hitler by one of the earliest founders but much water has flown under the bridge over these many decades. After partition RSS is only focussed on securing & protecting the Indic way of living & not impose Hinduism on others. They just want others to recognize the history of the land & respect their way of life. If proselytizing & conversion are attempted there is a resultant Hindu backlash. I suppose even people in Islam & Christianity wont take kindly to conversions if that happens.

Radical islamism where Mullah’s & other islamists threathen to kill celebrities like Nusrat Jahan for celebrating durga pooja or killing Ramanathan in TN as he advised some muslim men not to convert bring out radicals among Hindus too.

So issue is very layered & complex. So the perception that muslims are being harassed is not true. If somebody commits a crime law will apply & there is no discrimination against muslims. If cattle owners catch smugglers & lynch them its bcoz law doesn’t protect their interests & unfortunately quite a few turn out to be muslims.

For the subcontinent to progress moderate muslims should override radical muslims & rein them in. Law of land should be above religion, if this happens even some of the Hindu Radicals will loose steam as they will have no cause to fight for where rule of law prevails.

samir sardana said...

Context

This is w.r.t a man called Narendra Modi,who did a circus show in America,in a stadium with 50000 Indians,with the American President and Senators,in tow,in the audience. dindooohindoo

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/narendra-modi-in-us-live-updates-attend-howdy-modi-event-in-houston-donald-trump-1601863-2019-09-22

The Disaster

The white man sees his innate goodness and simplicity in all "assumed sentients".Sadly, that is not true. Why did the weasel,
flea bag,who looks like a midget orang otang,do this circus show ? It is because Trump offered mediation in kashmir - ostensibly on the advice of Modi - which made the Gujarati weasel - feel like a quivering rodent in India - degrading his carefully crafted image of an "iron man".

It captures the slave mindset and the deep rooted inferiority complex of a slave race - raped,rampaged and pillaged for 2000 years by the Greeks,Scythians,Sakas,Mongols,Persians,Parhinians,Abyssinians,Mughals,Mongols,Turks,British and the Portugese

The mind set of this sick weasel,who is also a mass murderer,is that he imposed a 70 day curfew in Kashmir - just to show the wimpet Hindoos of his nation, that he was a Hindoo "De Gaulle". When the American media turned against him and just before the UNSC - the
man decided to deliver a message to the world,from the USA,in a stadium with 50000 insane,raucous,supine Indians - where, in the presence of the American President, Modi lambasted Pakistan and their PM,and also took an indirect potshot at Trump's offer of mediation.

Such cheap antics from this heathen menial,who struts around like an ape,hugging people,laughing like a rotten jacaranda and whispering the dindu gospel into their ears, captures the essence of the cheap,heathen Indian Vermin which infest America.His "litter of illiterate vermin" who follow his antics - think that this man,who was a tea seller - has become a statesman !

What is wrong with America ?


samir sardana said...

My post dated October 7,2019,stated that doom will strike USA in 3 months.

Trump came to meet Chaiwala in End-February 2020. Within 49 hours of his exit - Taliban broke the peace deal

As per my prediction - in less than 3 months - doom has struck the USA with 1000 beings being killed daily due to COVID

It is all the curse of the Chaiwala dindooohindoo

The Empirical Proof

The people who "come to meet" the Chaiwala Indian Dindoo Hindoo PM, in "Dindoo Hindoo Land"

 Theresa May came to meet Chaiwala Indian PM - "she walked barefoot" ( on her lovely legs - imagine that !)

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2136571/theresa-may-goes-barefoot-to-meet-indian-pm-narendra-modi-and-plays-hard-ball-over-illegal-immigrants/

 In 5 months . she "lost the election" and is a lameduck PM !

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/08/world/europe/theresa-may-britain-election-conservatives-parliament.html?mcubz=0&_r=0

 "Hollande" came to meet Chaiwala Indian PM (a human came from the land of Descartes,Molyneux and Voltaire)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/liveblog/50703340.cms

 His "party lost the election", and is in the Dustbin of history

https://www.ft.com/content/a4e5f15e-5442-11e7-80b6-9bfa4c1f83d2

 The "Kiwi PM" come to meet Chaiwala Indian PM - and his "plane almost crashed"

http://in.reuters.com/article/newzealand-politics-india-idINKCN12O0JJ

 He "lost the polls", in less than 5 months

http://www.news.com.au/world/new-zealand-prime-minister-john-key-resigns/news-story/f4bdfed0d4c0d5580f678f3c0042dd5f

 The "Portugese PM" came to India , to meet the Indian PM

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/indian-origin-portuguese-pm-accorded-ceremonial-welcome-at-rashtrapati-bhawan/story-SGLMtsk4985tud9RW6gv7L.html

 The "worst ever disaster", struck Portugal

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/portugal-forest-fires-39-dead-pm-calls-disaster-tragedy-n773736

Riaz Haq said...

#Modi's acolytes have reminded #India's #Muslims just what he thinks of them. An image in #NewYork #TimesSquare celebrated not only the construction of a #Hindu temple but the destruction of a mosque. #BabriMasjid #AyodhyaRamMandir | Siddhartha Deb https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/aug/06/modi-india-muslims-times-square-hindu-temple

The coronavirus might have been expected to put a halt to Modi’s American fantasies, it being as difficult to leave the United States now as it is to enter India. Nevertheless, this didn’t stop Modi’s Hindu right supporters in the United States – fronted by a group called the American Indian Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) – who decided to lease giant screens in Times Square on Wednesday 5 August to display images of the Hindu god Ram and a temple to Ram being inaugurated that day in India by Modi.

There was a demo and a counter-demo and, while the plan to project an image of the proposed temple on the high-profile Nasdaq screen in Times Square did not materialise, one digital board showing the temple aired over the Hershey’s store for a limited part of the day. As their celebration of the temple appeared on a giant screen, the “Indian community” distributed sweets in Times Square. Protests were lodged with the mayor and with the billboard companies by a diverse range of groups, and were apparently successful in preventing the images from being displayed on a majority of the screens, including those on the Nasdaq building, but even the solitary airbrushed image of the Ram temple concealed far more than it revealed.

The temple construction is taking place in the provincial north Indian city of Ayodhya. This demolition was the high point of a long campaign by the Hindu right, so successful in creating an imagined grievance that it turned the BJP from a political oddity to the totalitarian behemoth it is today.


Even before the mosque was demolished, Hindus in India and abroad were asked to donate bricks to build a Ram temple, based on the claim that the mosque stood on the alleged birthplace of Ram. Bricks, some made of gold, arrived from Britain and the United States as well as from thousands of villages and towns in India in response to this campaign. Yet rather than birth, violent death was the true shrine of this campaign. Around 2,000 people died in the spiral of violence set off by the demolition of the mosque; soon the vilification of Muslims had become an everyday affair in India. Even the Gujarat pogroms in 2002 were set off by an incident involving the death of Hindu pilgrims returning to Gujarat from Ayodhya after a celebration of the demolition of the mosque.

-----------

Mussolini confided in his son that one of his nightmares was that he would be put on trial at New York’s Madison Square Garden, in case of capture by the Allies. Narendra Modi’s fantasy was to hold his victory rally there, as he did in September 2014, soon after being elected prime minister of India. Returning triumphantly to the heart of the very empire that denied him a diplomatic visa and revoked his tourist visa for an anti-Muslim pogrom carried out while he was chief minister in Gujarat in 2002, Modi’s presence at Madison Square Garden sparked off the rapturous belligerence of 20,000 supporters. Since then, through events like “Howdy Modi” and “Namaste Trump”, Modi appears to have made America his second home and Donald Trump a buddy, a coming together of civilisations ancient and modern as well as a merger of two failed states with among the highest rates of Covid-19 infection in the world.

Riaz Haq said...

#India’s “Humble” PM #Modi renames #Ahmadabad #cricket stadium after himself. #Hindutva #BJP


https://finance.yahoo.com/m/2f7a0703-e378-3cd4-8e1a-fd73307558d7/narendra-modi-renames-cricket.html

Narendra Modi has renamed the world’s largest cricket stadium after himself, stealing the limelight before the ground’s inaugural India-England match on Wednesday. The site on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, Modi’s political home town in the state of Gujarat, was recently rebuilt as the world’s largest cricket venue with capacity for 110,000 spectators. Modi has sought to use a slate of signature projects — such as building the world’s tallest statue and remaking India’s parliament — to project himself as the country’s most transformative and powerful prime minister in decades.

“It’s quite stunning,” said Ronojoy Sen, a senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore and author of a book on the history of sport in India. He argued that “the symbolism — the largest, the biggest, the best — being built in Ahmedabad” was central to Modi’s political brand.

“This is the first time in my memory at least that a living Indian [prime minister] has named a stadium after themselves,” he added.

The stadium was previously named after Sardar Patel, a leading figure in the independence movement and one of Modi’s political heroes.

Indian politicians have a long history of renaming cities, monuments and government programmes after dead leaders or historical figures, particularly to change names associated with the British Raj or Islamic empires.

The country is littered with buildings named after Jawaharlal Nehru, the first post-independence prime minister, as well as his daughter and grandson, former prime ministers who were both assassinated. However, it is rare for living leaders to champion projects designed to celebrate themselves.

“The general rule is you wait for people to be out of office before bestowing those kinds of honours,” said Gilles Verniers, assistant professor of political science at Ashoka University.

Mayawati, former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, was pilloried for spending public funds on expansive statue parks filled with likenesses of herself, her political mentor and elephants, her party’s symbol.

But Mayawati’s supporters defended the projects, saying the temple-like grounds were an inspiration for the party’s core constituents, drawn largely from the lower ranks of Hinduism’s caste system.

The renaming of the stadium drew praise from Modi’s followers and bemusement from his critics, who accuse the prime minister of concentrating all decision-making power in his tightly run office.

“World’s largest stadium dedicated to the world’s largest personality!” tweeted Preeti Gandhi, who is in charge of social media for the women’s wing of Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata party.

Gaurav Pandhi, who runs social media for the opposition Congress party, called it the “heights of narcissism . . . Megalomaniac!”

Modi served as chief minister of Gujarat before his ascent to the premiership in 2014.

The newly rebuilt stadium hosted Donald Trump when he visited India last year, but its debut as a cricket venue was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.

The name change was revealed only a couple of hours before the start of the third test match on England’s tour of India. The ground was at half capacity on Wednesday, hosting about 50,000 fans, thanks to a precipitous nationwide drop in Covid-19 infections.

Prateek Dixit, a 54-year-old engineer from Ahmedabad who attended, said the stadium was a triumph for Modi.

“It’s a proud moment for India,” Dixit said. “This is Modi’s dream. This is Modi’s vision. He dreamt that he would make a big stadium in Ahmedabad, and now it’s complete.”

Riaz Haq said...

Videos of hundreds of people taking to the streets in Britain's East Leicester were circulated on social media, which showed pro-Hindutva crowds raising "Jai Shri Ram" slogans and marching past Muslim localities on Sunday, 18 September.

https://www.thequint.com/news/world/series-of-nationalistic-and-religious-clashes-in-englands-east-leicester

The demonstration led to clashes in the area, reported BBC, with the police and the area's community leaders calling for peace.

A police spokesperson told the BBC that they were investigating "several incidents of violence damage" that were reported to the police, taking cognisance of a video being circulated, which shows a man "pulling down a flag outside a religious building" on Melton Road, Leicester.

In its latest statement issued on 18 September, the Leicester Police said that its officers attempted to engage with the crowds to maintain control.


The spate of violence is said to have begun after the India versus Pakistan cricket match held on 28 August, as a part of the 2022 Asia Cup tournament.

Home News World Tensions in Britain's Leicester After Pro-Hindutva Rallies in Muslim Localities

Tensions in Britain's Leicester After Pro-Hindutva Rallies in Muslim Localities
The police and community leaders called for peace after a series of clashes broke out across East Leicester.


Videos of hundreds of people taking to the streets in Britain's East Leicester were circulated on social media, which showed pro-Hindutva crowds raising "Jai Shri Ram" slogans and marching past Muslim localities on Sunday, 18 September.


The demonstration led to clashes in the area, reported BBC, with the police and the area's community leaders calling for peace.

A police spokesperson told the BBC that they were investigating "several incidents of violence damage" that were reported to the police, taking cognisance of a video being circulated, which shows a man "pulling down a flag outside a religious building" on Melton Road, Leicester.

In its latest statement issued on 18 September, the Leicester Police said that its officers attempted to engage with the crowds to maintain control.


The statement gave an update on the situation in East Leicester.


"Two arrests were made – one man on suspicion of conspiracy to commit violent disorder and one man on suspicion of possession of a bladed article. They remain in police custody," the statement reads.
The spate of violence is said to have begun after the India versus Pakistan cricket match held on 28 August, as a part of the 2022 Asia Cup tournament.

Riaz Haq said...

Derek J. Grossman
@DerekJGrossman
Me, before Modi’s visit: “The question is, are we propping up an increasingly illiberal democracy here? In my view, we are. We have taken the view that geopolitics and countering China is more important to us right now than the values-based diplomacy……the Biden admin came in saying they would prioritize.” Many thanks for reaching out,
@JohnReedwrites
!

https://twitter.com/DerekJGrossman/status/1670314349003702273?s=20


--------



In the weeks and days leading up to Narendra Modi’s state visit to Washington this week, US officials have been outdoing one another with words of adulation that have delighted the Indian leader’s supporters and made his critics cringe.

“He is the most popular world leader for a reason,” commerce secretary Gina Raimondo said at an India House event in Washington in April, wearing a green and yellow sari and gesturing expansively. “He is unbelievable, visionary, and his level of commitment to the people of India is just indescribable.”




Eric Garcetti, the US ambassador who arrived in New Delhi last month, has called Modi India’s “guru-ji” and Ajit Doval, the prime minister’s hard-boiled national security adviser, “not only a national treasure but an international treasure”.

Local media reported that at a Quad meeting on the sidelines of last month’s G7 summit in Hiroshima, President Joe Biden told Modi that he was running out of tickets for next Thursday’s state banquet at the White House because the Indian leader is “too popular”.

In a world of post-pandemic supply chain shifts, a globally disruptive war in Ukraine and rising concerns about China, the US is not alone in rolling out the red carpet for India. France’s Emmanuel Macron has invited Modi to be its guest of honour at next month’s Bastille Day parade.

But this charm campaign has been noted with dismay by India’s liberal elites. Analysts say western democracies are putting aside human rights principles, including concerns about New Delhi’s treatment of minority Muslims and Christians, its pressure on non-governmental organisations and journalism and weakening of democratic standards because they need India as a bulwark against China.



“Western countries have decided to look away from the decline in democratic credentials, press freedoms or treatment of religious minorities taking place in India because they think they need India to counterweigh China,” says Sushant Singh, senior fellow with the Centre for Policy Research. “They believe a stronger India would provide a counter to China’s rise.”


Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour.
https://www.ft.com/content/910d0e5a-0691-445f-a045-325469a1d21c

India’s government rejects the notion that its democracy is anything other than robust, and its defenders can easily find examples of democratic backsliding in western countries, not least the US.

From an American point of view, India is hardly the only country where Washington pushes human rights to the side and geopolitical considerations to the fore, as seen in its growing alignment on defence with Vietnam, a one-party non-democracy. Among other democracies, Israel, with its patchy human rights record and fraying of democratic institutions under Benjamin Netanyahu, is a perennial US ally with bipartisan support.

“The question is, are we propping up an increasingly illiberal democracy here?” asks Derek Grossman, senior defence analyst with the Rand Corporation, of the US-India relationship. “In my view, we are.”

He adds: “We have taken the view that geopolitics and countering China is more important to us right now than the values-based diplomacy the Biden administration came in saying they would prioritise.”

Riaz Haq said...

Derek J. Grossman
@DerekJGrossman
Me, before Modi’s visit: “The question is, are we propping up an increasingly illiberal democracy here? In my view, we are. We have taken the view that geopolitics and countering China is more important to us right now than the values-based diplomacy……the Biden admin came in saying they would prioritize.” Many thanks for reaching out,
@JohnReedwrites
!

https://twitter.com/DerekJGrossman/status/1670314349003702273?s=20


India’s scale is what makes it different both in terms of what its western diplomatic partners are willing to overlook, and how much they have to gain from doing so.

The country is now the world’s largest buyer of arms, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. France, thanks to an order of 36 Rafale fighter jets, is now its second-largest military supplier after Russia, with the US third.


Modi will address Congress on Thursday and preside over the signing of a slew of deals involving US companies, the fruit of a widening US-India partnership in technology and defence.

More deals, including an expected agreement with GE to build jet engines in India, are expected as the country pushes an “indigenisation” plan to build up local defence production.

Despite these priorities, some criticism of India on human rights does emerge from parts of the US administration. The state department’s most recent Religious Freedom Report listed India among 17 countries of particular concern, citing violence and hate speech against Muslims and Christians.

But these days, it is usually with a whisper. When opposition MP Rahul Gandhi was recently convicted of criminal defamation and stripped of his parliamentary seat, the US said it was “watching” the case in carefully worded language that stressed Washington and New Delhi’s “shared commitment to democratic values”.

Analysts following the upcoming visit say any US words on sensitive issues, including both human rights and India’s ties with Russia, will be similarly delicate, to the extent they are voiced at all.

Riaz Haq said...

Modi and India’s Diaspora: A Complex Love Affair Making Global Waves


https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/18/world/asia/india-diaspora.html

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has tried to fuse his image to the economic and political power of Indians abroad. They voice both pride and worry in return.



With an emphasis on national pride, Mr. Modi and his conservative Hindu-first Bharatiya Janata Party have cultivated a surprisingly strong relationship with India’s successful diaspora. The bond has been strengthened by a global political machine, supercharged under Mr. Modi with party offices in dozens of countries and thousands of volunteers. And it has allowed Mr. Modi to fuse his own image — and his rubric of elevating India — with superstar executives and powerful, often more liberal constituencies in the United States, Britain, Australia and many other nations.

No other world leader seems to draw such a steady flow of diaspora welcome parties, most recently in Paris, New York and Cairo, or giant audiences, including 20,000 fans at a rally in Australia in May. Mr. Modi was in France on Friday as the guest of honor at the annual Bastille Day parade, and with elections next year in India, the pattern has been set.


“The B.J.P. leadership wants to show its strength abroad, to create strength at home,” said Sameer Lalwani, a senior expert on South Asia at the U.S. Institute of Peace.

But in some corners of the diaspora, strains are emerging. Many Indian professionals who cheer when Mr. Modi boasts that India has become the world’s fifth-largest economy — who gush about new infrastructure and more modern cities — also fear that his government’s Hindu-supremacist policies and growing intolerance of scrutiny will keep India from truly standing as a superpower and democratic alternative to China.

Vinod Khosla, a prominent Silicon Valley investor, who has often pushed for closer U.S.-India relations, said in an interview that India’s greatest risk is a disruption to economic growth from the instability and inequality inflamed by Hindu nationalism. Others worry that Mr. Modi, in a bubble of political celebrity and religious certitude, is ignoring the fragility of positive momentum in a complex, diverse and volatile nation of 1.4 billion people.

“The demographics only work for India if there is progressivism and inclusion,” said Arun Subramony, a private equity banker in Washington with digital, health and other investments in India. “The party has to make an extra effort to make clear that India is for everyone.”

--------

political scientists believe that the B.J.P. and Hindu organizations draw a significant flow of money from the diaspora. In 2018, Mr. Modi’s government rushed through Parliament a law allowing Indians living abroad and foreign companies with subsidiaries in India to make undisclosed political donations. Spending on India’s 2019 campaign topped $8 billion, making it the most expensive election in the world.

“There’s an absence of transparency, and it’s by design,” said Gilles Verniers, a senior fellow at the Center for Policy Research in New Delhi.

In the United States, the B.J.P. registered its presence — a requirement for any foreign political party — only after questions were raised about the financing of a giant “Howdy Modi” celebration in 2019 in Houston with President Donald J. Trump.


In Australia, the organization still does not appear in the foreign transparency register, despite the costs associated with Mr. Modi’s rally in May at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena, where hundreds of people lined up outside for selfies with twin Modi cardboard cutouts framing a giant sign with “We ❤️ Modi” in bright white lights.