Trump Jr's map showed India in blue, anti-Republican. Why are Modi men mum?

Map released by Donald Trump Jr on Nov 3, election day

By Haider Abbas*

These may be dying moments of US elections, as ‘war of attrition’ between US president Donald Trump and Joseph Biden is turning out to be, as predicted, a nail biter, with Trump having declared that the ‘transfer of power’ would not be smooth, if he loses. But recent Trump moves suggest what would be the Republican policy towards India in the coming future.
Recently, Trump forced India to sign the Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) with the aim of countering China. This came amidst a survey, which said that 72% of Indian American would be voting for Trump’s rival, Biden. Biden’s vice-presidential nominee is Kamala Harris, who is of Indian origin, and in case of any eventuality (i.e. if Biden dies or has to step down), then the obvious step would be an Indian making to the presidential post.
Did all all this enrage Trump? It would seem so. Thus, on the election day, November 3, Trump Jr released a world map, with ‘red’ being the nations in support of US and ‘blue’ being opposed to it. Mexico, China and India were shown in ‘blue’. To add more smirk into it, Trump Jr showed Kashmir as an intendment nation of both India and Pakistan.
This leaves a big question to all the lovelorn politics of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in US campaigning for Trump with ‘Howdy Modi’ in Houston in September 2019, shortly after he annulled the special status of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) under Article 370, followed the ‘Namaste-Trump’ visit of Trump to Modi’s home state, Gujarat, in February 2020, to mobilise Indian voters towards Trump. All this, apparently, has turned into a damp squib!
Intriguingly, when the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) released a 20 Riyal Banknote on October 24, 2020, to celebrate being host to the G20 Summit, it was without Gilgit-Baltistan and Pak-occupied Kashmir (PoK) as part of Pakistan.
But for India it had a different implication: The map showed Kashmir to be an independent country. While Pakistan could not even register a squeamish response, India protested as recently as on October 29, 2020. India made it clear, the banknote was a “distortion” of the Indian map.
Interestingly, the same world was used by Donald Trump Jr – that too on the election day. His tweet which carried the map said, "Okay, finally got around to making my electoral map prediction. #2020Election #VOTE."

The Saudi banknote omits J&K and Ladakh from Indian territory

India, which is facing one of the worst war threats from China and Pakistan, appears to have been left in a quandary on how to respond to the move. Analysts wonder, what exactly has Modi got after all these years of his bonhomie with Trump. The Trump Jr map shows Pakistan in ‘red’, meaning ‘in support of Trump Sr’!

Will Modi or his battery of ministers make India register the same response with the Republicans, as it did with KSA, which decided to annul Kashmir from the India map? There is reason to believe: KSA’s move was dictated by the Republican policy makers, still ruling the country.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has announced it is making Gilgit-Baltistan its fifth province, on the lines suggested by China, as it is China’s gateway to its lifeline project, China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). It wasn’t without reason that, when India had started airing Gilgit-Baltistan weather report on May 9, 2020, there was backlash from China in Ladakh, in which India lost its 20 soldiers on June 15, 2020, as China perceived the Indian move anti-CPEC.
The latest move from Trump Jr throws back the obvious cardinal question: Has Pakistan already “sold-off” its side of Kashmir? And what would now be the Indian policy vis-a-vis Republicans, who seem to be wanting to make Kashmir into a sovereign nation, so that US could fulfill its “dream” of turning it into its military base to thwart China in times to come?
Significantly, al this is happening at a time when India has in the middle already lost its 70-years-old friend, Russia. If Trump loses, Trump Jr’s move will be a constant ‘reminder’ of the Republican position on Kashmir, which perhaps Democrats would find it too hard to put into favour of India.
---
Former State Information Commissioner, media analyst and writes on international politics

Comments

Stronger India–Russia partnership highlights a missed energy breakthrough

By N.S. Venkataraman* The recent visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India was widely publicized across several countries and has attracted significant global attention. The warmth with which Mr. Putin was received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was particularly noted, prompting policy planners worldwide to examine the implications of this cordial relationship for the global economy and political climate. India–Russia relations have stood on a strong foundation for decades and have consistently withstood geopolitical shifts. This is in marked contrast to India’s ties with the United States, which have experienced fluctuations under different U.S. administrations.

From natural farming to fair prices: Young entrepreneurs show a new path

By Bharat Dogra There have been frequent debates on agro-business companies not showing adequate concern for the livelihoods of small farmers. Farmers’ unions have often protested—generally with good reason—that while they do not receive fair returns despite high risks and hard work, corporate interests that merely process the crops produced by farmers earn disproportionately high profits. Hence, there is a growing demand for alternative models of agro-business development that demonstrate genuine commitment to protecting farmer livelihoods.

The Vande Mataram debate and the politics of manufactured controversy

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The recent Vande Mataram debate in Parliament was never meant to foster genuine dialogue. Each political party spoke past the other, addressing its own constituency, ensuring that clips went viral rather than contributing to meaningful deliberation. The objective was clear: to construct a Hindutva narrative ahead of the Bengal elections. Predictably, the Lok Sabha will likely expunge the opposition’s “controversial” remarks while retaining blatant inaccuracies voiced by ministers and ruling-party members. The BJP has mastered the art of inserting distortions into parliamentary records to provide them with a veneer of historical legitimacy.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Thota Sitaramaiah: An internal pillar of an underground organisation

By Harsh Thakor* Thota Sitaramaiah was regarded within his circles as an example of the many individuals whose work in various underground movements remained largely unknown to the wider public. While some leaders become visible through organisational roles or media attention, many others contribute quietly, without public recognition. Sitaramaiah was considered one such figure. He passed away on December 8, 2025, at the age of 65.

Epic war against caste system is constitutional responsibility of elected government

Edited by well-known Gujarat Dalit rights leader Martin Macwan, the book, “Bhed-Bharat: An Account of Injustice and Atrocities on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-18)” (available in English and Gujarati*) is a selection of news articles on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-2018) published by Dalit Shakti Prakashan, Ahmedabad. Preface to the book, in which Macwan seeks to answer key questions on why the book is needed today: *** The thought of compiling a book on atrocities on Dalits and thus present an overall Indian picture had occurred to me a long time ago. Absence of such a comprehensive picture is a major reason for a weak social and political consciousness among Dalits as well as non-Dalits. But gradually the idea took a different form. I found that lay readers don’t understand numbers and don’t like to read well-researched articles. The best way to reach out to them was storytelling. As I started writing in Gujarati and sharing the idea of the book with my friends, it occurred to me that while...

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

Proposals for Babri Masjid, Ram Temple spark fears of polarisation before West Bengal polls

By A Representative A political debate has emerged in West Bengal following recent announcements about plans for new religious structures in Murshidabad district, including a proposed mosque to be named Babri Masjid and a separate announcement by a BJP leader regarding the construction of a Ram temple in another location within Behrampur.

Global LNG boom 'threatens climate goals': Banks urged to end financing

By A Representative The world is on the brink of an unprecedented surge in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) development, with 279 new projects planned globally, threatening to derail international climate goals and causing severe local impacts. This stark warning comes from a coalition of organizations—including Reclaim Finance, Rainforest Action Network, BankTrack, and others—that today launched the " Exit LNG " website, a new mapping project exposing the extent of the expansion, the companies involved, and their bank financiers.

Search This Blog