Opinion: Indian PM Modi meets mob-linked president on his home turf

Indian media has substantial coverage of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trip to Washington. In contrast, US media has barely a mention of the trip. This reflects the difference in expectations: India hopes this trip will impact the country's destiny, whereas America, outside the Indian diaspora, doesn't really know who Modi is. The fate of Americadoes not depend onits links to India.

In the lead up to their meeting, the Washington Post didn't carry any articles about Modi, but did have one about the Muslim 16-year-old thrashed to death on a train by a Hindu mob who were under the impression the kid was a "beef-eater, an anti-national, a Pakistani".Indians here may feel this coverage is typical of the West, which instinctivelyand eagerly portrays the country in anunmodernlight, rather than take up the narrative it is the world's new up and coming economy in the region.

Except the West is not uniformly under the impression that India is the new place to do business, despite savvy middle classIndia's opinionof itself. In the lead up to the meeting, awidely-shared New York Times carried an article saying US congressman are calling on Trump to urge Modito "remove barriers to US trade and investment", something which Modi supporters feel has already happened. Indianswho have enduredthe shock of demonetisation, and who have heard about India's new cashless economy and all the BJP's economic reforms,may be surprised to learn thatthe World Bank rankedIndia 130th out of 190 countries for ease of doing business.

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Trump'smob links are real and numerous and go back for decades. Hehas structured his White House administration on the mafia pattern, literally surrounding himself withfamily memberswhose only qualification for officeis family loyalty.

That NYT article was published June 24th, andthe website had no mention of the Indian Prime Minister when he landed in Washington.

It's true that before themeeting the US pledged to supply22 armed predator Guardian drones to the Indian Navy. This is said to boost the Navy's intelligence gathering, and is a deal worth $2-3 billion. Perhaps this was an offering to India, to help open things up along the terms Big Business wants, or perhaps it's a run of the mill military exchange between countries. Coherence from thisUS administration is non-existent;Trump called Qatar a state sponsor of terrorism, then days later the US agreed to supplythem with $12 billion worth in jets.

Modi met the headofWal Mart, whocalled their meeting "fruitful". Who knows what this means for relations between the two countries?In the days to comethere will be more symbolic statements and photo ops, butwhat they symbolize is anybody's guess.

It's hard to read because PresidentTrumpis asociopathic kleptocrat. He is fundamentally untrustworthy,guided solely by what benefits his private wealth and hold on power. Trump'smob links are real and numerous and go back for decades. Hehas structured his White House administration on the mafia pattern, literally surrounding himself withfamily memberswhose only qualification for officeis family loyalty.

Boding well for India is the fact that he has Trump Hotelsin Mumbai andPune. This probably means more than his vocal criticism of India for only participating in the Paris climate accord, where hesaid, "India makes its participation contingent on receiving billions and billions and billions of dollars in foreign aid from developed countries."

Before taking any statement from Trump's mouth seriously, recall the "bizarre and reckless" phone call he had, just after beingnamed the winner of the US election,withPakistan Prime MinisterNawaz Sharif: "You are a terrific guy. You are doing amazing work which is visible in everyway."Yet Indian media is convinced that Trump is a partner in the fight against Pakistan terror. Maybe he will be. It's impossible to know. Trumpspeaks from three sides of his mouth.

Indians who are under the mistaken beliefthat the US President is a stableadult who operates within democratic or even economic normsmay try to read for clues to speculate about India'sfuture with Washington. Trump isonly loyal to his ego, money and power. Everything else will be determined in time.

(WION)