Hours after Joe Biden was declared president-elect of the United States, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the Democratic leader on his “spectacular victory.”
Modi also reached out to Biden’s vice president, Kamala Harris, and reminded the vice president-elect of her Indian descent, she was born to a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, both of whom had moved to the United States.
“His success is groundbreaking and a source of immense pride not only for his Chittis, but also for all Indian Americans,” Modi said. “Chitti” is a Tamil word that means aunt, and Harris used it during his campaign when talking about what family means to her.
Harris’s victory sparked celebrations in his maternal grandfather’s hometown in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
New Delhi’s swift welcome to new US leaders came amid concerns from Indian foreign policy experts over Modi’s public “endorsement” of his “friend,” incumbent President Donald Trump, last September. during a show “Howdy Modi” in the American city of Houston.
India enjoys a strong and growing relationship with the United States, with five American presidents (Republicans and Democrats) visiting the South Asian nation in the past 10 years, a point highlighted by Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Anurag. Srivastava, who tweeted: “Successive presidents and administrations have raised the bar on this relationship even higher.”
But analysts believe that the Biden-Harris administration would not take its eyes off human rights issues and the situation in Indian-administered Kashmir.
“Unlike Trump, who had no interest in human rights anywhere, the Biden-Harris team is likely to raise issues of human rights, minority rights and the crushing of freedoms in Kashmir and elsewhere.” said Dibyesh Anand, professor of international relations at the University of London. Westminster and author of Hindu Nationalism in India and the Politics of fear.
“Either India will continue its deteriorating human rights record no matter what the United States says, or it will seek to polish its image through cosmetic changes,” he said.
‘Protection of civil rights and liberties’
Biden’s election has raised hope for the protection of civil rights and liberties, not just in the U.S. but around the world, given his commitment that his administration will “restore America’s role and voice as an advocate. of human rights on a global scale “.
“Biden’s victory is due to a Democratic party that has been very supportive of human rights within the US. And many of the people who are now rising stars in the party have an interest in the rights situation in India,” Aakar Patel said. former head of Amnesty International in India.
Analysts believe a Biden-Harris administration would not ignore human rights and the situation in Indian-administered Kashmir [File: Andrew Harnik/Pool/Reuters]
“If people think that it is just a few statements when someone is in the opposition, they are wrong. This administration will make a difference. “
Since his re-election in May 2019, the Modi administration has pushed through a series of policies that many consider to target India’s Muslim community, which, with nearly 14 percent of the country’s 1.3 billion people, is the largest minority.
Last August, the Modi government revoked the constitutionally guaranteed semi-autonomous status of Indian-administered Kashmir. A few months later, he passed a controversial citizenship law that critics say discriminates against Muslims.
Under Modi’s supervision, hate crimes against minorities increased, with dozens of Muslims lynched by far-right Hindu mobs. Several activists, journalists and students critical of his government’s policies have been jailed under draconian laws. In September, Amnesty International India was forced to shut down its operations in the country under legal pressure, which the rights body says is “akin to freezing dissent”.
In his Agenda for Muslim-American Communities, Biden condemned the citizenship law of the Hindu nationalist government and said he was disappointed with the implementation and consequences of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, where nearly 2 million people were declared not the citizens.
“These measures are incompatible with the country’s long tradition of secularism and with the maintenance of a multi-ethnic and multi-religious democracy,” Biden had said.
Regarding the situation in Indian-administered Kashmir, Biden has stated that the Indian government must take all necessary measures to “restore the rights of the entire population of Kashmir.”
Position in Kashmir
Harris, who made history by being the first woman to be elected vice president of the United States, has taken a firmer position on Kashmir.
“We have to remind Kashmiris that they are not alone in the world,” Harris said in October last year as a candidate for the Democratic primary. “It is necessary to intervene if the situation demands it.”
Harris also objected to Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar refusing to meet with Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal during her visit to Washington.
Jaishankar had expressed his disappointment with a Congressional resolution on Kashmir that Representative Jayapal had made earlier.
“It is wrong for any foreign government to tell Congress which members are authorized at meetings on Capitol Hill. I’m with @RepJayapal, ”Harris tweeted.
The optics of Modi’s apparent endorsement of Trump looks particularly bad now, given Biden’s victory, says Kugelman of the US-based Wilson Center. [File: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters]
In February, while Trump was in New Delhi, anti-Muslim riots broke out. He did not make a statement against the riots, something for which he was criticized by Bernie Sanders, who was then seeking the nomination of the Democratic party.
“More than 200 million Muslims call India home. Widespread violence by anti-Muslim mobs has killed at least 27 and injured many more. Trump responds by saying, ‘That depends on India.’ This is a failure of human rights leadership, ”Sanders tweeted.
Former Indian Ambassador to the United States Meera Shankar told Al Jazeera that each administration prioritizes different issues within the broad framework of the relationship.
“It could be that the Biden-Harris administration places greater emphasis on democratic freedoms and human rights,” Shankar said.
However, he does not expect these issues to have “top relevance” in the relationship between India and the United States, which he believes “will be driven by converging strategic and security interests.”
Happymon Jacob, Associate Professor of International Studies at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, believes that the Biden administration will have a more proactive policy towards human rights in India and Kashmir, but does not think they will be public about it.
“I think if there are concerns in the United States, they would somehow be conveyed to India in a subtle way without making too much noise. I don’t think the Americans would humiliate the Indian government at any cost because they are looking at the long-term game, “he said.
Bipartisan ties
Despite the Modi administration’s perceived preference for Trump in the elections, analysts say the countries will work closely and strengthen ties.
“The lens of Modi’s apparent endorsement of Trump looks particularly bad now, given Biden’s victory. But the (India-US) relationship is really bipartisan and will be fine regardless of the person and party that occupies the White House, “said Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia program at the US-based Wilson Center.
Kugelman added that while the incoming administration can be expected to focus on India’s human rights record, “at the end of the day it is cold and hard interests that matter most.
“Biden will see India as a key partner that is critical to Washington’s efforts to push back China, and he will not want to risk contradicting India by saying too much about rights issues, especially in Kashmir,” he said.
Biden has said he is committed to strengthening the relationship between the United States and India.
“The United States and India will unite against terrorism in all its forms and work together to promote a region of peace and stability where neither China nor any other country threatens its neighbors,” Biden wrote in an October op-ed in India. West. .
Currently, the United States is India’s largest trading partner with nearly $ 90 billion in annual bilateral trade. Since 2007, India has bought US $ 22 billion worth of weapons.
Harris’s victory sparked celebrations in his grandfather’s hometown of Tamil Nadu [File: Aijaz Rahi/AP Photo]
The two countries have signed three major agreements during the four years of the Trump administration, the most recent signed just days before the US election.
India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party maintains that the Kashmir issue and citizenship law are internal matters that will not affect ties between the United States and India.
“Under Modi’s leadership we have made significant progress in terms of having a better relationship with the US The level of US confidence for India has increased. Whether there is a Democratic or Republican president in power in the United States, the relationship between the United States and India will continue to improve, ”said BJP spokesman Syed Zafar Islam.
But Jacob believes that with the change of administration in the United States, there is every possibility of a policy shift in New Delhi towards human rights.
“The Modi administration knows that the Democrats have an activist policy towards human rights and we may see a significant number of policy changes towards human rights in general and the issue of Kashmir. [in particular],” he said.
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