Replace India's US ambassador with ex-military man for "strategic" relations with Trump: Modi's NRI protege

By Our Representative
A top Hindutva ideologue settled in the US has advised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s national security adviser Ajit Doval to replace the present ambassador to the US, Arun Kumar Singh, with a top military personnel in order to deal with president-elect Donald Trump.
Rajiv Malhotra, known to be close to Modi, who two years ago praised him for “glorifying” India’s “priceless heritage”, has said that India should “consider appointing some ex-military person as its ambassador to the USA”, pointing out this would be a “top priority” for Doval insofar as India’s relationship with US is concerned.
Introduced as “Indian–American researcher, author, speaker” by a top right-wing online journal, Malhotra, considered by his votaries as one of the foremost theorists on Indian nationalism, has said in a commentary on the victory of Donald Trump as US president, that that not diplomats but “senior Indian military officials should lead strategic discussions with Trump.”
Also a wealthy NRI businessman, he insists, “India should avoid sending the standard team of Indian diplomats because Americans appreciate clear-cut, no-nonsense dealmakers rather than woolly-headed poets or ideologues. This pragmatism will be even more applicable in dealing with Trump.”
Titled “How India Should Deal with President Trump”, the commentary by Malhotra says, India should set aside what so far been “typical ideological approach” in international relations while “dealing with Trump”, adding, “India should formulate a totally pragmatic approach for dealing with Trump.”
Malhotra’s advice is, India should not “pigeon hole Trump into Left/Right categories”, adding, New Delhi should “understand his top priorities as president, and make concrete deals that are free of lofty ideologies.”
According to Malhotra, “India’s most important diplomatic offensive should be on Baluchistan.” He adds, India should “convince Trump that a game changer would be to free Baluchistan from Pakistan by supporting the Baluchi freedom movement.”
Underlining that this “will involve US military intervention”, Malhotra says, “And it will change the map of the region forever. Afghanistan will get access to the sea via Baluchistan, and the US will no longer have to suck up to Pakistan for supplying its troops. Afghans will love this freedom from the Pakis. So will the other Central Asian ‘stan’ countries that are presently landlocked.”
“A potential new sea access for Russia will also be a negotiating card to deal with Putin”, says Malhotra, adding, “Pakistan will lose its geostrategic positioning, a card it has played very skillfully for too long.”
“For its part, India should offer military help in Afghanistan, but only if USA guarantee’s an independent Baluchistan”, Malhotra thinks, adding, “This will be a win-win deal of a kind that is right up Trump’s alley. Russia may decide to join. A clandestine or indirect role for Israel should also be discussed.”
As part of India’s “diplomatic defensive deal” with the US, the Hindutva theorist thinks, the country’s leadership should “convince Trump to end US governmental support for Christian evangelism in India”, pointing out that Trump “was heavily backed by the evangelicals, and they are experienced in extracting foreign policy assistance from the US government.”
In fact, Malhotra wants Trump to know that “in the long run, a fragmented India would not become a Christian country, but rather a battleground for the return of Mughalstan”, adding, “It would be a worse nightmare for the USA than the entire Middle East is.”

Comments

It's now official: Developed Gujarat's regular, casual workers earn less than 19 top states

By Rajiv Shah
Though not as low as state chief minister Vijay Rupani claims it to be (0.9%), Gujarat’s unemployment rate, at least as reflected in a recent report released by the Government of India, is 4.8%, lower than the national average, 6%. Yet, ironically, the same report, released soon after the Lok Sabha polls came to an end in May 2019, brings to light an even grimmer reality: Lower wages in "model" and "developed" Gujarat compared to virtually the whole of India, including the so-called Bimaru states.

Amaravati: World Bank refusing to share public grievances on Land Pooling Scheme

By Our Representative
A new report, prepared by the advocacy group Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA), New Delhi, has taken strong exception to the World Bank refusing to share its independent assessment of the Land Pooling Scheme (LPS), floated by the Andhra Pradesh government in order to build the new capital.

Why crib? 4.5% is far better than pre-1980 'Hindu rate of growth': Subramanian replies

By Rajiv Shah
Even as sticking to his original argument that India's gross domestic product (GDP) since 2011-12 has been overestimated by 2.5%, renowned economist Arvind Subramanian has said in a fresh paper that his estimate of post-2011-12 growth rate at around 4.5% is surely not "implausibly low", as some of his critics have been arguing following his controversial June paper.

UP's Sonbhadra killing of 10 tribals highlights 'failure' to implement Forest Rights Act

Counterview Desk
On July 17, as many as 10 people, including three women, were killed and 28 injured when a village head and his supporters opened fire on a group of tribal farmers in Ubha village of Sonbhadra district in Uttar Pradesh. While the firing took place following a clash between over a land ownership dispute, it reportedly highlights failure of officials enforce Forest Rights Acts (FRA) and Survey Settlement in favour of tribals.

Govt of India 'lying': MGNREGA budget reduced by Rs 1,084 crore in 2019-20

Counterview Desk
NREGA Sangharsh Morcha, a well-known advocacy group for the rural jobs guarantee scheme, under implementation since 2005, has said that the statement by the Rural Development Minister has a made a mockery of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) on the floor of Parliament, revealing the ruling BJP’s “anti-worker and anti-poor bias”.

22,000 children risking lives in India's 'illegal' mica mines, 10-20 die each month

By Rajiv Shah
An investigation by a high-profile e-journal run by a top American digital media and entertainment company focused on young women, Refinery 29 (R29), which based in the Financial District, Manhattan neighbourhood of New York City, has raised the alarm that 9,000 miles away, nearly 22,000 children are risking their lives while working for a paltry sum of Rs 20 to 30 per day in mica mines of Jharkhand and Bihar.

Govt of India seeks to 'subvert' autonomy of adjudicating authorities: RTI amendment

Counterview Desk
India's independent Right to Information watchdog, The National Campaign for Peoples’ Right to Information (NCPRI), in a statement, has said that the Government of India’s proposed amendments to the RTI Act to empower the Centre to unilaterally decide the tenure, salary, allowances and other terms of service of Information Commissioners at the Centre and States “seriously undermine” the law.

None of India's ministries, departments have mining children on the radar: MPs told

By Our Representative
A delegation of two civil rights groups, Samata and mines, minerals and People (mm&P), has impressed upon several of India's members of Parliament (MPs) to discuss and raise issues relating to illegal mining, the Samata judgment, children in the mining areas and the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) in Parliament, adding, the issue of involvement of gram sabhas in decision making ought to be central for allowing any new projects in forest areas.

Demand to withdraw sedition charge against 30,000 unnamed Adivasis, activists

Counterview Desk
Every 10th Adivasi of Jharkhand’s Pathalgadi area is charged with sedition, Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha (JMM), a network of activists and people’s organisations, which organised a protest in Ranchi in front of the Governor's house, has said. In a statement following the protest on Monday, JMM has called for larger support to stand up against violations of Constitutional rights of Adivasis and use of sedition law as tool for repression.

Introduced in Lok Sabha, amendment proposals a 'blow' to RTI's federal scheme

By Venkatesh Nayak*
In less than two months of returning to power, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA-III) government has revived its 2018 proposal to curtail the autonomy of the Information Commissions established under the Right to Information Act, 2005 (RTI Act). A similar attempt was made exactly one year ago but the Bill to assume power to regulate the tenure, salaries and allowances of Information Commissioners across the country was not tabled in Parliament.

Counterview

Search This Blog