"US should offer unconditional public apology to Shri Modi and Indian people"

US should offer unconditional public apology to Shri Modi and Indian people -- Preet Arora tells Sen. Tim Kaine Also Read:

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USA must apologise to Narendra Modi before obama's invitation is accepted--GHHF http://issuu.com/swamijyoti/docs/usa_must_apologize_to_narendra_modi =====================

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“The bitter pill that US has to swallow now is to admit its mistake of wrongly and prematurely denying visa to a world leader like Shri Modi, and issue an unconditional public apology to Shri Modi and most importantly to Indian people for prejudging a multiple times democratically elected Indian official and for meddling in Indian sovereign affairs. This is the only way to gain the goodwill of Indian people, allay their skepticism, and regain their trust. What is annoying a large section of Indian people now is the way in which US is trying to bulldoze and brush under the carpet, as a bygone issue, how successive American administrations disrespected Shri Modi, the individual, the leader, and the constitutional post of CM…” -- Prateek Arora ==================================================================

From: Prateek Arora Date: 2014-07-27 To, Honorable Senator Tim Kaine, US Senate Dear Senator Kaine, It was a pleasure listening to your views and questions during recent Senate hearing led by you on reenergizing US-India relations. I am impressed with the quality of questions asked by you, Senator Risch, and Senator McCain, and concerns expressed by you all. I particularly liked candid testimonies by Ms Searight, Mr Wisner, and Mr Rossow.

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However, with all due respect, I am very disappointed by the evasive and canned responses by the Obama administration represented by Ms Biswal. Not surprised though because such has been Obama administration's dismissive attitude towards India and specifically hostile towards Shri Narendra Modi for a long time that has brought us to this stage. Why else would you need to "reenergize relation"? Fact of the matter is that US government's strategy towards India has been that there is no strategy. As very clearly highlighted when Senator McCain patiently grilled Ms Biswal to define Obama administration's 'concrete strategy' for India but she could not define it beyond the standard "India's development is in our interest" reply.

US government has been caught off guard due to lack of India strategy and because US is still stuck in a time warp of its own creation, such that it still does not know how to react to elevation of Shri Modi as PM of India. Let me be frank with you and tell you what your panelists’ will either not admit in public or are too prejudiced to ignore the reality as Indian people see it. Successive US governments (Bush and Obama) atrophied all the goodwill formed with Indians over 1998-2004, during the then Vajpayee government.

One of the critical reasons why US lost all its goodwill with Indian people (not same as previous Manmohan-Sonia corrupt government) and why Indian masses do not trust US anymore is because of how successive US administrations mistreated one of the most popular Indian leaders Shri Modi. US prejudicially and selectively ostracized and hounded Shri Modi for over 12 years by meddling in Indian democracy and stepping on Indian judiciary toes.

Khobragade fiasco was just tip of the iceberg. The real reason lies somewhere else.

US administration was so blinded by its prejudiced agenda (read Asian Tribune article "Secretary Clinton's 'Get Modi' Policy holds disastrous to US under Modi regime") that it could not see writing on the wall about elevation of Shri Modi and did not care to course correct like other nations did. Instead US government continued with passing own judgments despite Honorable Supreme Court of India exonerating and acquitting Shri Modi of any wrongdoings. Such disrespect by denying visa as if to pass a judgment overriding Indian courts and 'holier than thou' attitude of US towards Indians, who irrespective of their religion democratically elected Shri Modi as Chief Minister four times and now as the Prime Minister, has riled an average Indian like no other country.

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Do not take me wrong. Indian people do not care about US visa. It is not some benchmark for any leader’s global standing whether he or she gets US visa or not. What offended Indian people is passing of judgment by the US on Indian internal affairs, something in which it has no locus standi and despite the fact that Indian courts and voters have repeatedly given their respective incontrovertible verdicts. This is not how you treat leaders of the only truly democratic country, which is supposedly your "indispensable partner", in a fairly turbulent Indian Subcontinent.

US repeatedly disrespects the tallest contemporary leader of the largest democracy in the world and then expects it to be business as usual. Even after when Indian courts acquitted Shri Modi of any wrongdoing, the same Ms Biswal, who did not give one concrete example of how US-India relation will be reenergized, when asked about issuing visa to the then CM of Gujarat Shri Modi replied at her cagey best, "that he was free to apply for a visa at any time, the application would be decided on its merits and she could not comment on the outcome". So reassuring! How hard is it to say, we are sorry that we overreacted before knowing all the facts and unilaterally canceled with prejudice Shri Modi's B1/B2 visa, and we reinstate aforesaid visa without prejudice and extend an unconditional apology to Shri Modi for any inconvenience this may have caused?

For the US to now unilaterally say that the visa issue is bygone since Shri Modi is coming to the US in September as PM is being disingenuous because as the head of a State he would get an A1 visa anyways, otherwise how is the Indian constitutional post of CM any different than PM? Same Shri Modi as CM is persona-non-grata but as PM is welcome. What changed? In addition, how do you explain Shri Modi being the only person to be selectively banned under controversial religious freedom law without any proof of alleged commission or omission on his part, while allegedly far worse foreign leaders have been welcomed in the US from time to time? The point is to correct the wrong done to Shri Modi, the individual.

Some of your panelists, who are far away from Indian ground realities and may be forming their opinions by following biased Indian media sources, which by the way themselves were so disconnected from Indian public that most of them until six months ago were averring that Shri Modi will never be PM of India, are free to call Shri Modi a “controversial figure� (Mr Singh) and say that "Muslims 3

are worried about communal BJP” (Ms Curtis). Interestingly, all your panelists forgot or chose not to tell you that “Modi is controversial and communal” was Congress party’s election message and look where such time warp bigoted mindset got them. Indian people including Muslims categorically rejected this mendacious message and voted en masse for Shri Modi. You and US administration are free to believe such “Modi is controversial and communal” rubbish peddled by some of your 'foreign policy experts', but then the loss will be of American people, and few years down the line, you may end up holding another such hearing wondering why US and India have an acrimonious relationship and why does India not care about US interests.

The burden of choice that US makes now will be on future American generations just like the burden of mistakes by successive US administrations vis-à-vis Shri Modi is on all of us, particularly elected officials like you. The bitter pill that US has to swallow now is to admit its mistake of wrongly and prematurely denying visa to a world leader like Shri Modi, and issue an unconditional public apology to Shri Modi and most importantly to Indian people for prejudging a multiple times democratically elected Indian official and for meddling in Indian sovereign affairs. This is the only way to gain the goodwill of Indian people, allay their skepticism, and regain their trust. Anyone who advises you to the contrary just either does not understands the Indian society and pluralist Hindu culture, or does not have America’s best interest in mind.

What is annoying a large section of Indian people now is the way in which US is trying to bulldoze and brush under the carpet, as a bygone issue, how successive American administrations disrespected Shri Modi, the individual, the leader, and the constitutional post of CM. Trust me things will get far worse unless US publicly apologizes to him and Indian people. His upcoming visit is the best time to heal wounds. Otherwise, this is one very bad karma, which will come around and haunt the US again and again. If you want to reenergize India-US relationship, start by having and showing mutual respect for others.

Yours Sincerely, Prateek Arora Twitter: @PrateekArora_ http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.com/2014/08/us-should-offer-unconditionalpublic.html 4