As the PMO and North Block were preparing for the grand welcome of the eccentric industrialist billionaire and founder of Tesla and many other companies, Elon Musk, the news came of his trip’s cancellation. Musk announced on the ‘X’ social media site, citing ‘very’heavy Tesla obligations,’ which couldn’t have popped out from nowhere. In fact, Tesla’s arrival was preceded by the Government of India’s stepping down from its hard stance and reducing basic customs duty to 15% with a tag on manufacturing in India with a minimum of $500 million in investments.
Musk’s sudden discovery of heavy obligations is laughable and can be discounted outright. I was concerned about his timing during a crucial mid-election period, which would determine the next PM and policymakers for the next five years. Any approval at this stage by the Modi government could be enough reason for its cancellation by the new government in the unlikely INDI win.
That apart, Musk also reflects western philosophy and thoughts and is bound to toe the U.S. lines, which may not favour Modi, as do several other western nations like the U.K., etc. I will explain with a simple example. A servant wins a big lottery, or his son becomes a big man because of hard work. Most masters will envy him, wait to pull him down or create obstacles. This is exactly how the West perceives India.
Modi’s accession to the PM chair was one of struggle and also mired in controversy. Modi faced a ten-year ban from entering the U.S. due to his suspected involvement in the Gujarat riots. The Indian courts later cleared Modi. Modi turned out to be different, a right-leaning, Hindutva-driven, incorruptible, and independent leader who has braved the U.S. on several occasions, from settling for the French-made Rafale jets against the U.S. F-35. to defiantly buying Russian oil, pointing out the hypocrisy of the West. His actions, such as the abrogation of Art. 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and the banning of Triple Talaq, have unnerved West Asia, a region that the West often relies on for its energy needs. Additionally, China appears to be using its influence to ensure a Modi defeat with all its might and social media onslaught.
The tipping point has been Modi’s refusal to take a NATO-supportive role in the Russia-Ukraine war. Besides. The U.S. President, Joe Biden, has a personal score to settle with Modi, who was closer to Trump and even raised the slogan ‘Ap ki bar, Trump Sarkar,’ ignoring protocols and doing a political hara-kiri as Trump lost. Losing hope in Modi, the U.S. may have started investing resources and cultivating other leaders, whom I refrain from naming here publicly. Buoyed by the West, they may have outgrown their perceived strength but ignored Modi’s RSS-ingrained integrity and strength, which formed the core structure of his character.
Many opposition leaders and parties are mired in corruption, directionless, and divisive, which could suit the West better to reign and control than an obstinate Modi and his rigid colleagues like Amit Shah, Jaishankar, and Nirmala. Therefore, a return of Modi could upset the Western stranglehold and the biased western media like the BBC, New York Times, The Guardian, etc. in the fastest-growing economy. Musk cancelling his trip now was not his decision but was driven by several other factors. Personally, I feel there is no second face, for now, to match his charisma as the PM of India.
Jai Hind.
Sampath Kumar
Intrépide Voix
