Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke for two hours in Lok Sabha.
Three other ministers spoke including foreign minister Dr S Jaishankar. It is clear New Delhi was not pressurised by any country or leader to enter ceasefire. But the Congress and its ecosystem wants something else.
One die-hard Congress friendly says Modi remained "mum" on Donald Trump claims. One wonders - why they want a specific reference to Trump by Indian leaders in authorities.
The Modi government is applying statecraft and diplomatic strategy to avoid reference to the US President.
The predicament has to be understood. After all, Trump is President of the US and he could be snubbed without taking name.
Messaging is more important.
In fact - all three PM Modi and his Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar have made it clear that the ceasefire was announced on May 10th only after Pakistan's DGMO made a formal request.
Rahul Gandhi could not hide his ill-intent and political motivation.
“If he (the Prime Minister) has the courage of Indira Gandhi, let him say here that… you did not make the ceasefire ” Rahul said.
The Congress leaders almost want the government of India to go into a direct confrontation with the US President in office. This is not being ignorant. This is not being too brave and crude simpleton.
There is an ill-conceived motive :
Let Modi have a direct confrontation with the White House and we can then jump for the fun.
So far the Govt of India is treading the right path. Be assertive that no one intervened or interfere to force the ceasefire but at the same time there is no need to open any personal oneupmanship front with the US President.
As it is we are in a much vulnerable era.
The tensions in the Middle East, the unending Russian-Ukrainian war, and Trump’s threatening tariff are making the international system more complex.
It's a fact that policies valuing India as an indispensable strategic partner for the United States have come to enjoy bipartisan support in Washington. This structure of the Indo-American relationship underpinned the faith of India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar when he said prior to the US Presidential election that --
“We have actually seen steady progress in our relationship with the U.S. over the last five presidencies. Including an earlier Trump presidency. So, when we look at the American election, you know we are very confident that whatever the verdict, our relationship with the United States will only grow".
This underlining is crucial.
During the Joe Biden stint there were some hiccups and they should not come back to dominate proceedings. Moreover, the US is already trying to keep Pakistan on its side vis-a-vis Iran. This balancing will be a tough call.
As it is there are areas of mild friction between the US and India. The BRICS angle is important to this effect and so is India buying oil from Russia.
All these when the crucial trade talks are yet to be worked out and given a final shape.
There have been other areas of differences during the Biden era. When ED arrested Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, the US State Department had issued a statement, encouraging “fair, transparent, timely legal processes”.
Needless to say, an angry Modi government strongly rejected the US intervention. In addition, the US Department of Justice charged not only an Indian national for killing of a Sikh in America; but also a former official at RAW who was alleged to have given the orders.
So cautious optimism is the path and smart balancing work is necessary.
But Indian opposition is seldom above political considerations.
The constant defeats in elections have made Congress frustrated and this is making Rahul Gandhi more and more desperate by the day.
Prime Minister Modi makes its worse. He rubs in : "Not only me ...entire country is laughing at you". He told Congress lawmakers in Lok Sabha on July 29th.
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The cautious path is therefore advisable than falling into opposition's trap of Modi joining issue with a maverick politician named Donald Trump.
The general refrain is that the Modi administration is 'positive' about Trump 2.0, but there is an uncertainty of how the Trump administration will continue to treat India-related issues.
Modi loves making use of his charm and skills. He took Trump’s “MAGA” (Make America Great Again) slogan to describe his own goal of making India a developed nation as “MIGA” (Make India Great Again).
In presence of Trump, Modi also stated that MAGA and MIGA together would become a “Mega" partnership.
This should have delighted the US President.
ends
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