America is courting India for its growing economic clout !! Historic trip to the US awaits Narendra Modi : Setback to Sickularism

- Richard Nixon's visit to New Delhi in 1969 was marred by protests over his support for Pakistan during the Bangladesh conflict.

- Bill Clinton's visit to India in 2000 during Vajpayee government was hailed as a watershed moment for transforming relations into a 'natural alliance'. 

(In line with his major overseas visits, Prime Minister Modi will address the Indian Diaspora at the renowned John F Kennedy Centre.)

India's Sickularism industry is out for yet another round of big-time shock treatment as stage is set for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 6th official visit to the United States since he took over the reins in India in 2014. 

The particular section of English media, traditional Modi detractors, select foreign media houses and other legitimate and illegitimate children of 'Sickularism' fraternity will keep a close eye and pass sleepless nights from June 20 to 25 to find fault with the man they have hated since last nine years. 

The virtuous Crown Prince thought himself (doubtful but possible as well) or was advised to play super hero -- visit the United States well in advance and spoil the party! Americans are most pragmatic people - they know the meaning of word 'pappu' even if the word is Indian and Hindi !

Biden aptly woos Modi !!

 

Modi's trip to the US is set to be a historic benchmark in more ways than one. And even some Sickular individuals and establishments are falling in line ! It goes without stating that America is courting India for its growing economic clout !! 

Do not give sickularism, your priesthood remains unaffected in certain quarters. 

"Lynchings and the dispossession of Christians and Muslims are becoming more common. The press is cowed and the courts are largely pliant. Though India seems sure to remain a democracy—not least because Mr Modi is almost guaranteed re-election next year—it is an illiberal one. The fact that only 60m of its 1.4bn people have formal jobs is a potentially explosive situation in a country prone to rabble-rousing." -- comes the remarks in 'The Economist'. So sweet and so apt !! 

'Kem Chho moment'

But the same article sings another tone -- 

"....the global clout of the South Asian giant (that is Modi's 'New India') is rising fast. Its economy is the world’s fifth biggest. Its 18m-strong diaspora is thriving, from America to the Gulf. And India has become indispensable to America’s effort to assert itself in Asia and deter Chinese aggression. 

".......The relationship is therefore a test case for the messy alliance of democracies emerging in a multipolar world." 

Now some facts which will create heart burn among former efficient Railway ministers like Mallikarjun Kharge and Mamata Banerjee !! and also others.... 

Modi joins the exclusive club of Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela who have twice addressed a joint meeting of the US Congress in the past. 

Notably, Modi will be on a "state visit" this time. A state visit to the US is regarded as coveted and unique honour, and generally the US President accords such honour to his closest friends and allies. 

More heart-burn --  The visit is set to bolster economic ties and strengthen diplomatic relations. This visit will witness the forging of significant deals, fostering bonhomie between leaders, and shaping the course of global geopolitics. 

There will be enhanced scope for cooperation now across multiple sectors, from trade to technology and from security to climate change. 

   

Now, take a pause and read these lines from 'Indian Express' .... at times Indian English media can humble Congress party's occasional mouthpiece 'Sandesh'. Read the lines --- if necessary twice --

"There are those in the Congress Party who believe that Modi is a ‘feku’, a man who likes to spin a narrative around mythical achievements to conceal the reality that he has achieved very little. This is not true. Speaking for myself, I drove last week past the new airport that is being built in Mumbai and was stunned to see how much progress there has been in the past year. 

I use this as an example, because this new airport was announced years ago and all that I would see when I drove past it was a board that said it was Mumbai’s new airport." -- This came from Tavleen Singh.  

In between for your information, the Congress party and nine other parties tried to give their 'suitable spin'. They suddenly remembered Manipur is burning. The root cause for Manipur mess is with the faulty policy Congress had tried over the decades and now suddenly they discover it is burning. 

No one is justifying the 'Manipur mess' and one would unhesitatingly call the Imphal fiasco as a 'mega snag' in the Double Engine.  

blogger in China: File snap 

Vice President Kamala Harris will host lunch and Secretary of State Antony Blinken will join at the State Department meeting. It will further underline the significance of sustained cooperation.

Modi’s visit also includes engagements with the business community and a CEO Roundtable to promote trade and investment ties.

-Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. visited India in 1959 for a month-long tour. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent struggle for national independence, King said said 'Non-violence is the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle for justice and human dignity.' (says Wion)

- Dwight Eisenhower's visit to New Delhi in 1959 was the first by a US president to India and boosted cooperation on agriculture and development. He also addressed the Indian parliament.

- John F. Kennedy's meeting with Indira Gandhi in Washington in 1961 laid the foundation for a strategic partnership on defence and security.

Clinton in Rajasthan: 2000