“We really slobbered over the old witch,” Nixon told Mr Kissinger of his meeting with Gandhi the previous day.
“While she was a bitch, we got what we wanted too,” Mr Kissinger said. “She will not be able to go home and say that the United States didn’t give her a warm reception and therefore in despair she’s got to go to war.”
It was on the 5th of November 1971.
In 1998, the U.S. Congress passed the International Religious Freedom Act, which set up new U.S. mechanisms to combat religious persecution and in 2005 the George W. Bush administration denied Modi a visa to visit the USA. He was the Chief Minister of Gujarat then.
Much water has flown since as Modi swept to power and had become the Prime Minister in 2014. Despite there being an External Affairs Minister, Modi took upon himself to cement good relations with most world leaders on a one-to-one basis. His visits to the USA, France, Israel, Kazakhstan, Australia, Russia, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Seychelles among 60 countries is noteworthy and has propelled India to a new height.
If Kazakhstan was targeted for Uranium, Australia for coal, Germany, France and Russia for Defence, Maldives, Bhutan, Nepal, Seychelles and Vietnam to neutralise China’s influence, Tajikistan to visit our only foreign airbase (for keeping Pakistan at check on the North-Western front), The Arab nations to fortify our relations and check Pakistan’s influence. Objectives of some visits are public; some others remain under wraps.
The success of our foreign relations has begun to bear fruit in the several summits and meetings that Modi attended. The body language of the leaders like Shinzo Abe, Netanyahu, Macron or Putin has changed when dealing with Modi. Despite the unpredictability of President Trump, he has bonded with Modi well and calls him a friend, like his predecessor Obama.
A personal bonhomie between India’s Prime Minister and other world leaders will undoubtedly augur well with India. Ironically, the opposition makes fun of the ‘Howdy Modi’ event hosted in Houston, Texas, the day after tomorrow. Leaving aside protocols, the U.S. President Trump joining Modi at the event is the jewel in the crown for India’s relentless efforts to establish a credible face as a responsible nation.
Let us fight over policies, but also grow and mature to appreciate good things that are happening for our country. Modi as a Prime Minister is not merely incidental, as he had fourteen predecessors who also served as Prime Ministers. Save Nehru and Indira Gandhi, rarely one is remembered as for as external affairs are concerned. Modi has surpassed all on this account.
Jai Hind
Sampath Kumar
Intrépide Voix
