By Dr Arun Mitra
After nearly 15 months, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was invited as a special guest to attend the G7 meeting, since India is not a member of this group. During the event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump held a brief conversation. The pro-government media and ‘Andh Bhakts’ are making grand claims about the meeting, but the facts tell a different story.
Commenting on his meeting with Prime Minister Modi, Donald Trump said, “PM Modi is a very attractive-looking and tough man. He is a very tough negotiator—one of the toughest, in fact. He is the most attractive-looking man. He looks very nice. He looks like an angel, but he is actually as tough as they come. He looks so good that it surprises you. There are very few people like that. People say, ‘What a nice man he is.’ I say, ‘He is very tough.’ … We will visit India sometime in the future.”
There was little seriousness in these remarks. The entire world knows that Trump often contradicts himself within hours of making a statement.
His claim that “if India is attacked, the United States will stand with India” is rather surprising. Over the past period, he has repeatedly invited Pakistan’s Prime Minister and Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, to the United States and hosted them. He even initiated discussions on an agreement with Iran through Pakistan’s mediation. Many countries today acknowledge that Pakistan has played a significant role in these developments. Yet India has had no place in this process, despite the fact that India’s role in promoting world peace was once considered among the foremost in the world.
On February 25, Prime Minister Modi visited Israel and, while addressing its Parliament, stated that India had always stood with Israel and would continue to do so under any circumstances. In such a situation, why would any other country place its trust in India? This is also why, when the question of oil supplies arose, Iran stated that it was providing oil out of concern for the Indian people, not because of the Indian government. The Indian government was given no special importance.
Narendra Modi expressed no condolences regarding the death of Ayatollah Khamenei, nor about the nearly 170 children who were killed, nor about the sinking of an Iranian vessel and the deaths of sailors allegedly caused by an American submarine attack. Under such circumstances, why would any country attach importance to India?
We also know that after Operation Sindoor, Donald Trump repeatedly claimed that he had mediated between India and Pakistan and brought the conflict to an end. Narendra Modi did not challenge this statement even once. If Operation Sindoor was truly launched in response to the killings in Pahalgam resulting from a Pakistani attack, then where was the United States at that time? Why did it not support India? Why did India have to send delegations around the world to explain the truth about Operation Sindoor? It is another matter that those delegations received little attention in most countries.
During his meeting with President Trump, the Prime Minister raised the issue of the safety of working sailors only in a general manner. He did not specifically protest the killing of three sailors by American security forces even once. He merely expressed the hope that the safety of sailors would be given priority. In response, Donald Trump said that it was a very difficult job and involved many risks. He neither expressed regret nor offered any firm assurance.
America’s primary interest is business. Trade negotiations between India and the United States have been ongoing for some time, and now the moment to finalize them has arrived. That is perhaps why Narendra Modi suddenly appears angelic to Donald Trump.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not utter a single word regarding the killing of Indian sailors by the United States, even when U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had, in effect, justified those killings. Nor did he clearly ask Trump to condemn or oppose them.
One point for which Donald Trump thanked Narendra Modi was that Modi was bringing Indian investment into the United States. This seems rather ironic. On the one hand, the Prime Minister says that the country is facing an economic crisis; on the other hand, he is encouraging Indian capital to be invested in America.
What was even more troubling was that Narendra Modi repeatedly addressed Donald Trump as “Your Excellency.” At the same time, Modi was holding slips of paper in his hand and repeatedly looking at them to remember what he had to say. One wonders whether he is now beginning to forget things?
It appeared as though Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sitting under considerable pressure. During the press conference, Donald Trump answered all the questions, while Modi did not respond to a single one.
It was also quite strange when Donald Trump spoke about gender transition, suggesting that such procedures could cause significant harm and that he did not support them. Prime Minister Modi responded by laughing. It seemed as though he perhaps did not fully understand the context.
Regardless of what the media or blind supporters may say, the reality is visible to the world. The situation of these supporters has become peculiar: first they performed rituals in support of Trump; then, when Trump engaged with Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, they began criticizing him. Now that the United States has altered its foreign policy, these supporters appear confused and directionless.
At present, due to the foreign policy pursued by the Indian government, India’s standing in the world has declined significantly. This is a matter of serious concern. (IPA Service)
