Is President Obama Bringing any Diwali Gifts for India?

"Ask not what India can do for US, ask what US can do for India." When President

Barrack Obama lands in Mumbai, India, he could well rephrase John Kennedy's famous quotation to assess his state visit. Arriving on India's biggest festival of lights, Diwali, when visitors traditionally bring gifts for their hosts, it remains to be seen if he has any tangible goodies for India or if he just wants to get his orders for over nine billion dollars worth of fighter aircraft, contracts for producing nuclear energy with a potential of 50 billion dollars, sell new seed technology and access the vast Indian market for American companies, big and small. The Indians want lifting of US sanctions for the dual-use nuclear technologies that can be used for peace and defence purposes, easing of visa restrictions of computer experts, full support for a permanent seat at he UN Security Council, greater access to American market for Indian goods and reining defence aid to Pakistan, among other issues. While defence sales are paramount for US industrial-military complex to generate jobs and boost the economy, Obama has made his hero worship of Gandhi as a cornet stone of his visit. Paying tribute to the apostle of peace at Gandhi memorial in New Delhi seems a farce when inking weapons deals for warfare. Yet no journalist or commentator has pointed this out despite all the non-stop TV discussions and long long articles about the cordial relations between world's oldest and the biggest democracies. Terrorism will feature high on the agenda as the two countries are cooperating more and more with each other to combat it. However, India is unhappy with America's selective information provided in the case of Headley, a key player in the Mumbai attack. As a genial host, India will downplay this issue to get American to mount pressure on Pakistan to crack down on terror groups. To declare support for India's bid for a seat at 'the horseshoe table' of the UN Security Council has been dubbed as a 'difficult and complicated issue by Obama. So, will it be swept under the red carpet? The political agenda has to take a back seat in the face of deep recession and high unemployment in the United States, especially after the drubbing Obama got at the mid-term polls. His top priority is creating jobs at home and for this it is trade and economic issues that matter to him more than anything else. His pithy statements on being 'Bangalored' and 'moving jobs from Buffalo to Bangalore' have not gone down well with his Indian hosts, especially in the IT industry that interact with USA perhaps more than any other country. No wonder he gave Bangalore a slip on his visit unlike almost all other heads of state visiting India. Diwali is a great time for goodwill but Obama will have to offer tangible gifts to please his hosts and his voters back home. Mere platitudes will not do, Mr President or the famous Kennedy quotation will sound hollow.

Is President Obama Bringing any Diwali Gifts for India?

By: Kul Bhushan

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