The recent chill in Indo-US relations is being linked to the Biden Administration’s warming ties with Sikh separatists, with CIA officials seemingly emboldened by the visible drift at the highest political level by Gopal Misra
The recent downturn in the Indian-American ties could be attributed to the new found love of a section of the Biden Administration, specifically some officials of the CIA, for the Sikh separatists. Earlier, the intelligence agency or the deep state had been working covertly, but perhaps, now emboldened by the visible drift at the highest political level, the agency has become overt.
Interestingly, few are surprised in New Delhi regarding this emerging affinity of the deep state for the separatists. Indians are well-versed in its tactics reflecting its personal admiration or Oedipus Complex. In recent years, it has emerged as a collaborator of the ruling mafias or the dictators in countries like Pakistan or even with a section of the Chinese Communists.
Within the USA, they are known to be working in collaboration with the military-industrial complex. With their close ties with Mafia and drug lords, they could eliminate even a president like John F. Kennedy. Kennedy’s assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, a former Marine, was killed even in police custody. The autopsy of Kennedy too was believed to have been manipulated.
The report of the Warren Commission regarding the murder of Kennedy also exposed that even those who had conspired to eliminate a president would never be punished by a judicial process. The same justice system is now being used to malign the Indian government and accusing India of eliminating or planning to kill the Sikh separatists.
It is yet to be ascertained who are the domestic as well as international lobbies working in unison in this well planned scheme for undermining the growing cooperation between the US and India. Also, they have successfully been manipulating the Canadian government to support the separatists.
The Sikh terrorists had bombed an Air India aircraft in 1985 killing 385 people on board, but those responsible for this act have been released by the Canadian government. Even a Canadian government enquiry report has admitted in 2006 that the Canadian secret police committed a series of errors that finally led to the release of the terrorists. With the recent outbursts or accusations of the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau against India for eliminating a few Sikh separatists reaffirms that the promoting terrorism is a part of the Canadian state policy.
Meanwhile, in this action packed anti-India drama a new dimension has been introduced by a case filed by an Attorney General in New York against Vikash Yadav, claiming to be a government employee in India for hiring an assassin to eliminate a Sikh separatist, Gurupatwant Singh Pannu. Interestingly, Pannu has issued an advisory that the Sikhs were planning to repeat the 1985 tragedy and therefore people should avoid travelling in Indian Airlines aircraft, but the FBI has so far refused to take a cognizance of it
Earlier, the US authorities had extricated an Indian citizen Nikhil Gupta from the Czech republic. He is also facing charges regarding the alleged conspiracy against Pannu.
Meanwhile, within hours before framing Yadav, a support group of Sikhs for giving legal assistance to the separatists, the American Legal Defense and Education Fund has asked to take urgent measures for preventing transnational repression of Sikhs.
Trust deficit
There are few takers of this anti-India narrative in India as well as among the Indian Americans.
Neither the mandarins in the South Bloc in New Delhi nor the decision makers in the Pentagon, the headquarters of America’s defence, are taking the allegations against India seriously.
Unfortunately, for the naives occupying the seat of power at Capitol, appear to believe in the colonial narrative about countries like India. If the American establishment needs China as a hub of cheap labor for manufacturing American products, it also needs India as a counterweight for China’s growing economic power.
With the American capital and technology, China has emerged a super economic power causing apprehensions in the USA.
With the ongoing conflicts in Eastern Europe and West Asia, Russia and China have become close allies. Meanwhile, the Chinese proxies have successfully penetrated American business, academia and are also influencing the black population. It is difficult to explain amidst these challenges, how the American establishment could irritate India by supporting the separatists. It appears they suffer a perennial itching for a one night fling, the feudal lords used to have for women of easy virtue rather than sustaining a prolonged courtship.
For many in New Delhi, a few are amused by this dilemma, but not surprised that a section of the US establishment could unleash Khalistani separatists against India, while the American Congress is busy enacting a legislation to offer India the much-needed security umbrella at par with Japan and Israel.
Deep state and media
The Department of Justice in the American Federal Administration has confessed that during the period 2019-22, the Chinese companies funded the US media to the tune of seven million USD. The beneficiaries included Los Angeles Times, Time magazine and the USA Today.
Interestingly, these publications have been supporting the military takeover of Bangladesh with the Muslim radicals, thus toeing Beijing’s agenda. These media outfits are also publishing the demand of a separate Sikh state.
They are also publishing unsubstantiated allegations against India for repressing the Sikhs. It appears that the Biden Administration is being haunted by its traditional self-love at the cost of the geopolitical imperatives. The American institutions, such as the media and judiciary, which have been representing the American dream of equality, freedom and opportunities have been bribed by the dragon.
The delay in the enactment of the proposed Bill to ensure deeper US-India ties also reveals the apathy of the Biden Administration as well as of Kamala Harris, currently Vice-President and a presidential aspirant. The US Senator from Florida, Marko Rubio, a veteran Republican and an eminent lawyer, has introduced the Bill giving India her befitting role as a vibrant democracy and ally; however, by causing unnecessary irritation to India implicating her in false accusations only serves the interests of the anti-democracy forces.
These tactics have also undermined the efforts of Biden holding the QUAD summit, just a few weeks before the end of the tenure of his term.
Meanwhile, the defence documents across continents including all the permanent members, except Russia, have apprehensions of China as a military superpower. China’s recent supply of laser weapons to Iran has caused apprehension regarding the victory of Israel in the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
The two world wars of the 20th century were fought among the European powers i.e. between the British-led Allies and the German-led Axis powers. Later years, however, the US-led West identified a new enemy in the USSR. Eight decades later, the US is positioning China as a new enemy. It wants India, earlier debunked as a land of snake charmers and yogis, to be an ally, but she has to be kept under reins by triggering forces undermining her unity and plural democratic society. It may prove counterproductive for the Americans, if they continue to unleash false media reports accompanied by legal cases. It has caused a noticeable decline of the warmth in India-US strategic ties.
Interestingly, these foolish projections might have impacted India, but they have neither caused any panic or anxiety among the mandarins of the South Bloc in New Delhi. It is being taken with a pinch of salt by the knowledgeable sections in India.
Unless corrective steps were jointly taken by the White House as well as the Pentagon, the decline in their warmth might finally undermine the agenda to position India as a counter weight in the contemporary geo-politics to Beijing. It is hoped that the new President would be taking effective steps for renewing ties with India as an equal partner for global peace.
