A recent press conference at the White House will be remembered for a long time in India’s context. The backdrop was PM Narendra Modi’s upcoming US state visit. Dismissing concerns raised by Muslim journalist Asma Khalid regarding the health of India’s democracy, White House Spokesperson John Kirby reiterated that India continues to be a vibrant democracy. “Anybody who happens to go to New Delhi can see that for themselves,” quipped Kirby, who is also the Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House.
While Kirby’s response made headlines in India, it is interesting to note that neither the one who insinuated the question nor Kirby himself was Indian. The health of India’s democracy should be our concern more than anyone else’s. This is why New Delhi should not worry excessively about such detractors, nor should it seek approval of its domestic affairs from foreign powers. One doesn’t even need to be in Delhi to feel the pulse of a rising India; it is palpable across continents. Therefore, both Asma Khalid’s aspersions and Kirby’s retort can be likened to uninvited guests dancing at a stranger’s wedding!
This is not the first attack on Indian democracy on foreign soil. Even our cultural, religious, and social values, along with the country’s people-oriented governance, have faced an increasing onslaught of an unprecedented propaganda war. The Western world has harbored many preconceived notions about India since pre-independence times. While the cliché of India being a nation of snake charmers may no longer be as prevalent, the attempts to denigrate the country have intensified over time, driven by motives far more sinister than the mere mockery of Indians.
This is evident in how the Western intelligentsia derides India’s political rights and the country’s social hierarchy. Hindu rituals have always been a target of ridicule among certain sections of Western societies, and even some Muslim nations seem more interested in India’s stance on issues like LGBTQ rights than in addressing their domestic affairs.
The Assam Government’s crackdown on child marriages is interpreted as a violation of human rights by Western liberals, perhaps because such marriages are not uncommon in Muslim societies. Even progressive steps like the abolition of triple talaq are seen as a reactionary approach by the Hindu right wing. It is worth comparing this to the consternation that first-world liberals and left-leaning feminists express towards certain negative practices in Hindu society, such as Sati and Purdah (the mandatory veil for women). They rarely acknowledge that these social maladies originated in medieval times out of fear of barbaric Islamic conquerors.
This lot perceives India’s compassionate approach towards persecuted non-Muslims in its neighboring countries through initiatives like the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) as a direct threat to Indian Muslims. Similarly, radical reforms such as the farm bills, the abrogation of Article 370, the banning of hijab in educational institutions, and the crackdown on radical Islamic seminaries are also portrayed in the same negative light. The controversial documentary by the BBC against PM Modi is part of this consistent pattern. One cannot help but wonder why the BBC does not show equal concern for the kidnapping and forced conversion of Hindu women in Pakistan, state-sponsored atrocities in Balochistan, alleged terror funding by Qatar and Turkey, the ongoing persecution of Hindus in Kashmir, or the disrespect shown towards Hindu deities. The BBC even failed to cover incidents of anti-Hindu violence that occurred in its own country a few months ago, which were carried out by Islamic radicals with the support of many non-resident Pakistanis.
Recently, the nonagenarian American businessman George Soros launched a scathing attack against the Modi government, using the pretext of Hindenburg’s controversial report on the Adani group. Soros is well-known for meddling in the affairs of other countries and has been accused of playing a pivotal role in regime changes in several nations, including Cuba, Bolivia, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. Many NGOs and organizations funded by Soros’ Open Society Foundation ensure that India is consistently portrayed in a negative light in their annual reports. An example of this bias is evident in the latest World Press Freedom Index released by the so-called Reporters Without Borders, which has ranked India below countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan. Interestingly, the report remains silent, as usual, on the issues of media manipulation in countries such as the US and France. The reason behind this silence is simple: these are the countries that provide funding to Reporters Without Borders.
The World Happiness Index 2023 can be included in the same category. It ranks bankrupt Sri Lanka higher than India in terms of happiness. Finland consistently appears among the world’s happiest countries in this index, despite having a high suicide rate. Notwithstanding India’s acclaimed largest food security program, which has received accolades from the World Bank, the Global Hunger Index (GHI) places India at 107 out of 121 nations. The Swedish research institute V-Dem, another venture funded by Soros, rates Pakistan, Iraq, and Afghanistan higher than India in terms of academic freedom.
A comparison of these various indices with the ground situation in India reveals the true intentions of anti-India elements in the West. However, these forces fail to realize that India has transformed and is no longer apologetic about its traditions. It can now respond in kind to any nefarious designs. Kirby’s statement is a result of India’s changing global image. Such unequivocal endorsement from Washington is rare in today’s complex geopolitical circumstances. Anti-India propaganda will only increase in the lead-up to the Lok Sabha polls next year. Retreating is certainly not an ideal strategy to effectively counter it.
