set-your-house-in-order-suspend-hostilities-for-a-while

Sometimes serious challenges crop up from unexpected quarters. That is precisely what has happened. The greatest challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his 11-year tenure has come from his cherished friend, US President Donald Trump. Both enjoyed good personal bonding. Both would describe each other as friends. In fact, Trump still describes both India and Modi as “friends”.

 

It is not that he should have made an exception for his friend in his ruthless implementation of “tariff” policy on imports from various countries. But he shouldn’t have mentioned and threatened India repeatedly and so uncouthly either. This is not just uncouth, but unexpected of the head of a state and that too about a democratic friendly country ruled by a democratic friendly leader. That certainly has left a bad taste.

 

Prime Minister Modi’s leadership is being tested now. So is that of Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. Whether Gandhi and the Opposition parties like it or not, they have to accept that Modi is a democratically elected Prime Minister of the country. They will have to accept and acknowledge that. This is not the time to dispute his election by raising the bogey of “rigged seats” or “stolen elections”.

 

Conversely, Prime Minister Modi will also need to be more gracious towards the Opposition leaders, Gandhi in particular. The same people who elected him the Prime Minister have voted for Gandhi also, of course in lesser numbers that enabled him to become the Leader of the Opposition. The Opposition is an integral part of the democratic set up and the government must also accept and acknowledge that.

 

There has been fierce bitterness from both sides over the last decade or so. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has not left any stone unturned to damn the Congress for all that is wrong with the country. Its standard and characteristic accusation against first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru has now become exemplary. The Congress has hit back in the same measure, which is quite understandable.

 

Also read: Endorsing Trump on 'dead economy', Rahul does no good to himself

 

This much acrimony and hostility is never required in a democracy. The criticism currently is not restricted to policies, but has turned personal. This leaves hardly any scope for rapprochement. Added to all this acrimony is the “social media boost” provided from both the quarters against each other. At times, the social media “warriors” go extra mile in their abuse against the political opponents they are assigned to target. This holds true for both sides, ruling as well as the Opposition.

 

The country as a whole, not the Prime Minister alone, is faced with a serious economic challenge that the Trump tariffs will be posing. Moreover, Trump has also been objecting to India buying Russian oil and weapons. He is trying to bite more than he can chew. Like senior Congress leader Manish Tewari reminded him that India could not be deterred and intimidated with Seventh Fleet in 1971, India wouldn’t be deterred or intimidated even now.

 

Like Tewari, the Leader of the Opposition as also Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge should come out clearly and categorically against the US President’s statements against the country. This is not the time for the Opposition, particularly the Congress, to seek sadistic pleasure in Trump speaking against India. Of course it is a setback for Prime Minister Modi as he banked too much on Trump, but it is the entire country whose interests are at stake. The Congress can reserve its criticism against Modi for a later day.

 

Ideally, Prime Minister Modi should call an ‘all party’ meeting and make the initial move to reach out to the country's Opposition. The situation is similar to February 24, 1994, when the PV Narasimha Rao-government moved a resolution in both the Houses of the Parliament reiterating that entire Jammu and Kashmir was an integral part of India and the only unfinished agenda is return of the occupied territory to India.

 

Also read: Trump poses dual challenge to Modi; diplomatic, economic

 

A similar resolution should ideally be passed in the Parliament that India as a whole rejects any foreign interference about what it should do, what it should not and with whom it should trade, with whom it should not. Particularly when the United States is itself buying fertilisers, uranium, palladium, certain chemicals and aircraft engine parts from Russia, it has no moral right to object to other countries buying things from it. Like it accused India of financing war against Ukraine, from the same argument, the US is also financing the war against Ukraine. In any case, India would not accept any such advice or suggestion.

 

It high time that the entire political establishment of the country, across the spectrum, takes a unified stand against the US President’s repeated tariff and penalty threats. India, after all, is the most populous country in the world; a country of 1.4 billion people. India has been there for millennia while America was discovered just a few hundred years ago and that too when Columbus wanted to discover India but ended up there.

 

India for sure cannot be threatened, intimidated or interfered into. This message must go from entire 1.4 billion people of the country, across the globe, across the Atlantic to reach Trump's ears. Let both the Houses of the Parliament pass a unanimous resolution that India stands together and united against any attempt of foreign interference.