While a string of law suits greeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he landed in the Big Apple on Friday afternoon (eastern standard time), the US-based credit rating agency Standard and Poor’s raised the outlook for India’s ‘BBB-minus’ rating to ‘stable’ from ‘negative’ as a reaction to Modi government’s ‘strong’ mandate that would allow it to implement ‘fiscal and economic reforms.’ Is Washington still playing the old good cop-bad cop game with New Delhi in its bid to open floodgates of pro-America market reforms and covertly lobbying to compel India to join its ‘war against terror’, this time parading the menace of ISIS?
According to sources, barely a day before Modi embarked on his historic US visit, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy wrote to him a letter on Thursday requesting the PM to send Indian troops to Iraq and Syria. This, he said was required to ‘combat’ the ISIS militants, whose headline-grabbing brutality has been condemned worldwide. It was learnt that Modi assured him he would look into the matter and even expressed a probable assent in his discussions with US president Barack Obama on 29 and 30 September in White House.
PMO sources said the officers concerned with the Indian national security have already discussed the matter and have even prepared a report based on ground assessment and the possible contingent of Indian troops that could be sent to Iraq if required.
However, senior diplomats have expressed serious concerns that PM Modi might just be walking into a honey trap, in which Washington would arm-twist New Delhi into entering its cobbled coalition against ISIS, dangling the carrots of credit rating, FDIs in defence and other sectors, cooperation in nuclear energy sector, etc. In fact, as many as three law suits have been filed in various American courts that directly or indirectly involve Modi, including one for his alleged role in 2002 communal riots in Godhra, of which he has been exonerated by Indian courts. Moreover, even though Washington did a damage control on Friday by assuring New Delhi that the Indian PM would have full diplomatic immunity, there wasn’t any word on the fact that a group of top American lawmakers on Thursday asked the International Trade Commission to probe India’s alleged ‘unfair trade practices that discriminate against US exports and investment.’
Sources say the latest move reflects growing American impatience with and fear of India’s self-assertion on global dais, especially after blocking the Bali agreement of WTO on the basis of New Delhi’s misgivings over lack of food subsidy for developing countries in the draft.
According to the sources, senior diplomats are worried that in case India joins a US-led coalition against ISIS, it would be a humongous drain on the government exchequer and would certainly become a repeat of 2003 illegal invasion of Iraq by US-led NATO forces, which has claimed over 600,000 lives so far.
Experts warn entering into a defence alliance with the US would seriously destabilise India’s equation with not just the West Asian countries but also Russia and China. In fact, in 2003, then prime minister Vajpayee had shot down a request to join the Iraq War coalition, even though he had got the heads up from LK Advani.
According to sources, barely a day before Modi embarked on his historic US visit, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy wrote to him a letter on Thursday requesting the PM to send Indian troops to Iraq and Syria. This, he said was required to ‘combat’ the ISIS militants, whose headline-grabbing brutality has been condemned worldwide. It was learnt that Modi assured him he would look into the matter and even expressed a probable assent in his discussions with US president Barack Obama on 29 and 30 September in White House.
PMO sources said the officers concerned with the Indian national security have already discussed the matter and have even prepared a report based on ground assessment and the possible contingent of Indian troops that could be sent to Iraq if required.
However, senior diplomats have expressed serious concerns that PM Modi might just be walking into a honey trap, in which Washington would arm-twist New Delhi into entering its cobbled coalition against ISIS, dangling the carrots of credit rating, FDIs in defence and other sectors, cooperation in nuclear energy sector, etc. In fact, as many as three law suits have been filed in various American courts that directly or indirectly involve Modi, including one for his alleged role in 2002 communal riots in Godhra, of which he has been exonerated by Indian courts. Moreover, even though Washington did a damage control on Friday by assuring New Delhi that the Indian PM would have full diplomatic immunity, there wasn’t any word on the fact that a group of top American lawmakers on Thursday asked the International Trade Commission to probe India’s alleged ‘unfair trade practices that discriminate against US exports and investment.’
Sources say the latest move reflects growing American impatience with and fear of India’s self-assertion on global dais, especially after blocking the Bali agreement of WTO on the basis of New Delhi’s misgivings over lack of food subsidy for developing countries in the draft.
According to the sources, senior diplomats are worried that in case India joins a US-led coalition against ISIS, it would be a humongous drain on the government exchequer and would certainly become a repeat of 2003 illegal invasion of Iraq by US-led NATO forces, which has claimed over 600,000 lives so far.
Experts warn entering into a defence alliance with the US would seriously destabilise India’s equation with not just the West Asian countries but also Russia and China. In fact, in 2003, then prime minister Vajpayee had shot down a request to join the Iraq War coalition, even though he had got the heads up from LK Advani.