Will Obama solve Modi puzzle for India?

It's important for foreign governments to get to know the Gujarat CM better

Certainly, their action has set tongues wagging in political circles. Ahead of the 2014 elections, their motto is: enemy’s enemy is always a friend. People in the corridors of power vehemently denied that any dirty linen was being washed in public but did admit there was a political fight under way. Somewhat surprisingly, members of Parliament (MPs) appealed to the United States to take a position on India’s internal matter. Have some lawmakers compromised India's sovereignty by sending a request to the US President on Modi visa issue? 

Sixty five MPs, including Sitaram Yechury of Communist Party of India (Marxist) and M P Achuthan of Communist Party of India, faxed a letter to President Barack Obama, urging the US Administration to maintain the current policy of denying visa to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. However, the CPI (M) politburo member denied writing or signing on any such letter to Obama. After Yechury, nine MPs denied signing any such letter, prompting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to demand an inquiry into what it called “dirty tricks” of the Congress against Modi. If the signatures were forged, is the onus on those who sent the letter to the US President? Should those who sent the letter now explain how the signatures were forged? Should there be a criminal probe on whether MPs’ signatures were forged to lobby against Modi?

. FULL TEXT | MPs' letters written to US against visa to Narendra Modi (Source IBNLive.com)

The revelations about the letters come at a time when BJP president Rajnath Singh is in Washington to meet US lawmakers and officials, and to urge the government to lift the ban on visa for Modi. Arguably, the MPs’ letter is only a small irritant in the grand scheme of Modi’s political rise, but it signals how radioactive he remains.

"External help to contain Shri Narendra Modi? These 65 MPs have failed to engage with him politically. Sponsored activists don't trust Indian courts. Seeking external assistance to prop up their unjust cause. A third umpire in the USA for an Indian political fight?" BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said on Twitter.
. MPs write to Obama against visa for Modi

The Hindutva posterboy became a pariah to the West after the 2002 riots. But with Modi, 62, emerging as a serious national leader and with Asian giants such as China and Japan wooing trade with Gujarat, the recession-hit European Union and the United Kingdom altered their earlier opinions about him. In 2005, the Republicans whose government, headed by George W. Bush, had denied Modi a visa due to allegations of mishandling of the 2002 pogrom against his government.

 

The US embassy had said: 'His tourist/business visa was revoked under section 212 (a)(2)(g) of the US Immigration and Nationality (Act) which makes 'any government official who was responsible for or directly carried out at any time, particularly severe violations of religious freedom', ineligible for visa.'  The Manmohan Singh-led Congress government diluted its stand on Modi's role in the Gujarat massacre and termed the US decision as 'uncalled for', displaying a 'lack of courtesy and sensitivity' towards a constitutionally-elected Chief Minister of a state.

 

Trade and business bodies such as the US-Indian Business Council have been an enthusiastic partner of Modi annual's roll call of fans, Vibrant Gujarat. Besides, in March this year a high-profile American business team led by three Republican lawmakers met Modi and invited him to the US.

 

It is a matter of debate,  what he did or did not do, but he won a democratic verdict.  For good or for bad, Modi is an elected Chief Minister of an Indian state. He wanted to visit the US as the Chief Minister of Gujarat. The function that he was invited to attend was dominated by people from the state of Gujarat. The US government chose to disregard the mandate of Indian democracy. Nobody demands that the US government should respect Modi as a person but the elected office the BJP leader holds is worthy of respect. It must be remembered that under Bush's leadership, US intelligence agencies produced fake evidence about the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and unleashed an unprovoked war on that country.

 

The supporters of Modi argue that the Gujarat CM is not an accused in any Indian court of law till date. Therefore, the intrigue by a group of 65 lawmakers should not be acceptable to the whole country. BJP spin doctors are all set go to town over the 'insult' not only to Gujarati 'asmita' (self-respect) but also to national pride.

. MPs letter to Obama against Modi is Cong handiwork: BJP

 

As the party is plagued by internal squabbles and its Hindutva ideology lacking the appeal it had in the 1990s, there is one school of thought that argues that the attacks on Modi would help the party to consolidate its hardcore Hindu votes in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

 

It cannot be denied that Modi has rid the administrative system of red-tape bureaucracy to a great extent, and so earned the applause of investors. His no-nonsense governance, zero tolerance for corruption, and his management of electricity have earned him popular support. Gujarat’s record in good governance, job creation and promises of more affordable housing and healthcare  strike a chord with middle-class voters who form the BJP's traditional support base. Nevertheless, his efforts to portray himself as progressive and ‘Hindu nationalist’, with a focus on pro-people good governance have been questioned by critics.