India-US bonhomie and reality check
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: January 29, 2014 -
US president Barack Obama’s second visit to India has been marked by an air of the country’s renewed hope in getting closer to the world power and in marching forward for further opening up a market worth billions of dollars.
However, if one notes what Obama said before he left, India still needs to take a step behind and ponder over the implications of the US president’s advice on religious freedom.
He made a plea for freedom of religion to be upheld in India with a history of bloody conflict between communities, particularly between the majority Hindus and Muslims in identified areas. Perhaps, more specifically Obama would have referred to the Gujarat riots.
With the recent debate spurred by the issue of conversion and re-conversion and also reported incidents of persecuting minorities by the proponents of Hidutva, Obama has at least rightly asked India not to stray from the country’s constitutional commitment to allow people to freely "profess, practice and propagate" religion.
The US president even went on to warn that India will succeed “so long as it is not splintered along the lines of religious faith”.
The covert warning should not be taken lightly if the Indian Hindu right wing parties wishes to embark on a long term partnership with the US.
Here, it is worth recalling that Modi was banned from entering US for nearly a decade until last year after Gujarat riots in 2002.
Obama’s intention is clear, if India wanted to further cement ties with the US, the scope and success of the deals sealed would depend on whether or not India truly walks on the charted path of a democratic country not based on internal hegemony exercised by those following the faith of the majority.
Perhaps, Modi had already sensed what Obama was likely to say as his parting shot.
The Prime Minister had in fact already warned politicians from his own party and other fringe groups to stop promoting controversial issues such as religious conversions and set their eyes on economic reforms.
Now, it is left to Modi and the Hindutva brigade to assess how far economic reforms could be achieved by religious assertion or mob frenzy.
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