Spoiling Modi’s party

Hold regular summits with increased periodicity. Elevate the strategic dialogue to a strategic and commercial dialogue. Establish secure hotlines between the prime minister of India and the president of the United States of America and national security advisers.

Cooperate to develop joint ventures on strategically significant projects. However, Obama shot a torpedo as a parting shot on his last engagement in New Delhi. But for this, Obama’s India visit was nothing but a dream run for Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The occasion was Obama’s town hall-style meeting as he addressed some two thousand 2,000 young people at New Delhi’s Siri Fort auditorium on Jan. 27.

Obama waded into India’s most controversial topic, which happens to be the soft underbelly of Modi as well as the BJP. The US president made a fervent appeal for religious freedom at a time when Indian opposition parties have accused Modi of not restraining his firebrand colleagues within his party and the network of ally organizations. Sample Obama’s pregnant remark: “India will succeed as long as it’s not splintered along religious lines...nowhere is it more important to uphold religious freedom than in India.” He also reminded his Indian audience with an obvious swipe at the Modi-led BJP government thus: “Every person has the right to practice their religion and beliefs and not practice it if they choose so without any persecution.”

As though this was not enough, Obama threw India’s own rule book at the Indians when quoting the Indian Constitution, he made the following observation: “Your Article 25 (of the Constitution) says that all people are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practice and propagate religion. In both our countries, in all countries, upholding this fundamental freedom is the responsibility of government, but it’s also the responsibility of every person.”

Obama’s speech at Siri Fort has spoilt Modi’s party. In fact, Obama’s parting shot in India would bolster the opposition and give them lot of ammunition. The Congress and other opposition parties would inevitably go gaga over Obama’s remarks on religious tolerance and would take the maximum political mileage out of this during innumerable elections held in India every year.

The first such opportunity presents before the opposition on Feb. 7 when Delhi assembly polls are held.