Modi In Moscow

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to visit Russia to restore the annual summitry between the two nations provoked criticism from some quarters for allowing Russian President Vladimir Putin to showcase India’s support at a time when the West has declared him a pariah for the invasion of Ukraine. While the views of Western commentators and some Indian writers did not come as a surprise, more unusually US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti observed that India should not take ties with the US for granted. The comment might indicate that while Washington accepts India’s desire for an ‘autonomous’ foreign policy—albeit somewhat reluctantly—the Biden administration has its sensitivities too and making Moscow the prime minister’s first port of call after re-election might have been avoidable. If Garcetti, and indeed other commentators, had paid more attention to Modi’s remarks on foreign policy in dozens of interviews in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, they would not have been surprised. Modi has underlined that India’s foreign policy will not be a zero-sum game. It will not be a one or the other choice. “Our policy will not be about being close to one and keeping a distance from others,” he said. Just as the US has concerns about India-Russia relations, Moscow has also raised the Modi government’s deepening engagement with the US. Modi has made the point that India’s security concerns (namely China) make this an important and consequential choice. Keeping Russia aligned or at least sympathetic to India’s interests despite Putin’s close ties with China is another reason for pursuing bilateral relations. In recent years, India has strongly responded to allegations of opportunism in its foreign policy by pointing out that Europe has been a major consumer of Russian crude processed by Indian refineries and that these imports helped stave off a $30-40 hike in per barrel oil prices. India is examining other avenues for Russian investments in India as well apart from the ambitious Vladivostok-Chennai maritime corridor. Modi did use the occasion to again remind Putin that disputes such as the war in Ukraine cannot be settled on battlefields. Cynics may see this as mere grandstanding. But a more perceptive view will recognise that India’s disapproval of the violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty is sincere and its support for international order is evidenced by its ready participation in several peace-keeping missions like the naval flotilla it has deployed off the coast of Yemen and Somalia.

After The By-Elections

A sense of anticipation is rising in the national capital as the resumption of the Budget Session of Parliament nears. The first half saw the Opposition raise the NEET for medical undergraduate admission leaks and take on BJP for failing to gain a majority of its own. For its part, BJP fired back, pointing out that the Opposition, despite its larger numbers, had failed to replace the Modi government. Since then two other electoral events have added to the discussion. In by-elections to 13 Assembly seats, the I.N.D.I.A. bloc won 10, prompting Congress leaders to claim victory over BJP. Yet, there was no I.N.D.I.A. at work in Punjab and West Bengal, where Congress and its Left allies finished third. The West Bengal results saw Trinamool Congress snatch three seats from BJP and retain the fourth. In Punjab, there was better news for AAP which won the Jalandhar (West) seat after a poor Lok Sabha showing. BJP’s setback came in Himachal Pradesh where the strategy of getting Congress and independent MLAs to resign has not paid dividends. In the event the Sukhu government is now safe. In Uttarakhand again, a Congress rebel-turned-BJP candidate lost in the Badrinath election. But in the Manglaur seat, which BJP has never won, it lost by a mere 422 votes in a constituency with a significant Muslim population as a key factor. Just ahead of the assembly bypolls, news from Maharashtra was less favourable for the I.N.D.I.A. partners. Contrary to the perception that the ruling Shinde Shiv Sena-Ajit Pawar-BJP combine has been weakened, the ruling Mahayuti alliance won nine of 11 Legislative Council seats that saw cross-voting by five Congress MLAs. An energised Ajit Pawar is now campaigning in the Baramati region again, hoping to reverse the setback his wife faced in the Lok Sabha election. Congress’ state chief Nana Patole, meanwhile, is vowing to punish party defaulters after the embarrassment of cross-voting. But state polls are round the corner and there is not much that can be done to discipline MLAs who went the other way.

Mahakumbh Food Court

Plans are afoot for the 2025 Mahakumbh in Prayag that will be held in January-February with the UP government setting aside space for a massive 25,000 square feet food court for visitors and devotees. The venue will provide a taste of UP’s regional cuisines as well as food from all parts of the country. There will be sufficient seating for thousands of people who would be served at the same time and many of the outlets will operate round the clock. The food court will also boast of recognisable catering brands popular in many parts of India. The Mahakumbh has been well organised over the past several years with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath taking a keen interest in the welfare of devotees from India and as many as 75 countries who have attended the holy event that holds a special significance for millions of Hindus.

Trudeau’s Doublespeak

While the US is witnessing a heated discussion on whether former President Donald Trump’s opponents whipped up hate against him, the activities of Khalistani elements in Canada continue unchecked. At a recent rally held after the assassination attempt on Trump, a group of anti-India protesters, which included minors, shouted slogans justifying the deaths of Indira Gandhi and other Congress leaders and promising violence against Prime Minister Modi. All this, even as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the Pennsylvania shooting incident and spoke to Trump. It is evident that vote-bank politics will rule the Trudeau government’s response to anti-India activities which have been repeatedly linked to crime and violence both in Canada and India. Such is the state of affairs that Khalistan supporters, who have been linked to Pakistan’s ISI, continue to operate freely. In a recall of the 1985 bombing of Air India flight 182, a Canadian journalist has written of the death threats she received over a series of investigative reports into the terrorist act and the murder of a Sikh journalist who had taken on the extremists. It seems no lessons will be learnt and anti-India criminal elements will continue to receive shelter in Canada.

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