Wrapping up my reporting about Modis trip to America I was reminded of the famous quote by Massachusetts Congressman Tip O Neil that All politics are local. On board Air India One back home Modi should be remembering that. Most of the cheering NRIs in MSG wont vote in the upcoming Assembly elections. The voter in Nanded will decide the fate of his party, not a voter in New York. The way our Assembly elections are scheduled every six months acts as a deterrent to the party in power at the center. A below par performance is going to take the steam out of the Modi juggernaut. He could be bogged down doing fire fighting both inside and outside his party affecting his focus on his vision of development. Such are the vagaries of a chaotic democracy. Our media should be more objective and stop over hyping any visit involving our leaders to America and vice versa. I doubt all our major TV network would be in Moscow if Modi would give a speech at Red Square. Flirting with the glamorous Uncle Sam might be pleasurable for the moment but one should not forget that Russia stood by us when it matters to us, versus America stood by us if it matters to them. We should treat a visiting American dignitary the same way they are treated in Japan or China. No need to go overboard as we run the risk of being taken for granted. Its in human nature. I saw many American experts on South - East Asian affairs talking with some pro India tilt on Indian TV networks. Its understandable as they were speaking to an Indian audience. I remember when they were serving American government in different capacity they always did a balancing act between India and Pakistan. I am sure if Hillary Clinton is elected as President in 2016 and she appoints Madeline Albright as Secretary of State, both will like trapeze artists will walk a fine line between India and Pakistan. They will sing a different tune then. So we must tune our priorities and foreign policy accordingly without putting all eggs in one basket. But one should not forget All politics are local.
Posted on: Wed, 01 Oct 2014 02:04:25 +0000
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