Obama Lectures Modi on Minorities and Human Rights: Irony dies a thousand deaths
Unmasking the Janus-faced Obama: Insights into his Questionable and Motivated Comments on Minority and Human Rights Bang in the Middle of Modi's State Visit to USA.
Obama’s Unsolicited Advice: Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States from 2009 to 2017, recently gave a wide-ranging interview to CNN's Christiane Amanpour on "The Challenge to Democracy." The 55-minute interview, recorded earlier in Greece, was telecast on an “interesting” date, 22.06.2023, the day when the US President Joe Biden and Congress were fully engaged in the various programs and events surrounding the State visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
CNN went the extra mile to publicize short video clips1 featuring Obama offering unsolicited advice to President Biden on engaging with Prime Minister Modi. Obama touched on issues such as the perceived discrimination against India's Muslim minority citizens, oppression of the press, and oppression of political opposition.
His remark, verbatim: One particular comment from the interview gained wide dissemination: Obama stated, "I think it is true that if the President meets with Prime Minister Modi, then the protection of the Muslim minority in a majority Hindu India is something worth mentioning. And by the way, if I had a conversation with Prime Minister Modi, who I know well, part of my argument would be that if you do not protect the rights of ethnic minorities in India, then there is a strong possibility India, at some point, starts pulling apart. And we've seen what happens when you start getting those kinds of large internal conflicts. So that would be contrary to the interests not just of Muslim India, but also Hindu India. So I think it's important to be able to talk about these things, honestly. Things are never going to be as clean as you'd like because the world is complicated."2
Amanpour’s elaboration: During a subsequent discussion with CNN correspondents, Amanpour made the following observation: "Well, as the President laid out, we know that there has been a notable increase in oppression of the press, political opposition, and religious groups, including the Muslim minority. This is very troubling. Additionally, India has abstained or not voted positively on several UN resolutions condemning Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. Moreover, India has increased its import of Russian oil transported by sea. All of these developments are deeply troubling, especially for the coalition seeking to defend democratic Ukraine and hold autocratic Russia accountable."
Amanpour’s background: These extracts clearly demonstrate the overall objective of the left-leaning CNN network and Amanpour, who is described by some observers as "liberal," to undermine the highly successful visit of Narendra Modi, who is arguably one of the world's most popular right-wing leaders today. It is worth noting that Amanpour spent her formative years in Tehran, and her background includes an Iranian Shi'ite Muslim father and a Roman Catholic mother. While she does not officially declare any religion, she has stated that she grew up in a "multi-faith household" and considers herself a “spiritual person”. The intent behind providing this background is not to question her integrity or objectivity, but rather to allow readers to draw their own inferences.
Obama’s own track-record: Nevertheless, it is important to scrutinize the disparity between Barack Obama's words and actions, particularly during his two terms as US President. Despite being a self-proclaimed advocate of international human rights and global democracy, his overt actions often contradicted his stated or even rhetorical views. For example, he authorized the use of drone strikes resulting in civilian casualties and continued the use of enhanced interrogation techniques condemned by human rights groups. He also failed to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.
Obama often flouted human rights: While Obama inherited the Iraq War and the Afghanistan War from the previous Bush Administration, he escalated the use of drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia. His record on human rights is, therefore, complex and nuanced. Although he made some significant advancements in promoting human rights, he also took steps that were seen as conflicting with his public assertions. Consequently, he has no right to anoint himself as a self-proclaimed and undisputed champion of global human rights, nor can he assume the moral authority to advise President Biden or counsel Prime Minister Modi, a popular leader of the world's largest democracy with over 1.4 billion citizens.
Were Obama’s comments engineered by the Biden Administration? Some astute observers, including genuine well-wishers of India, are quick to point out the need for reading Obama’s observations between the lines, considering the close association between Biden and Obama during their time together in the previous administration. Biden served as Obama's running mate and Vice President of the USA, which raises the possibility that Obama's comments were planned rather than impromptu. This theory, or rather hypothesis, has been circulating on social media, suggesting that the interview was contrived by the Biden Administration as a subtle means of conveying certain messages to Prime Minister Modi without undermining the overall positive atmosphere of the State Visit.
No. US diplomats can be direct: However, it is important to recognize that Americans are known for their frankness, particularly in closed-door discussions. They are fully capable of expressing their sentiments and intentions to the Indian side directly and honestly. Furthermore, it is worth noting that the Trump Administration had previously implemented a travel ban affecting individuals from primarily Muslim nations3, including those who had already been issued US visas, although it was prima facie unconstitutional. This serves as a reminder that the US State Department prioritizes its own national interests above all else and does not necessarily engage in delicate or contrived manoeuvres when it comes to the realpolitik of international diplomacy. Therefore, it is advisable not to be misled by seemingly smooth and specious arguments and assume that Obama's remarks necessarily reflect hidden intentions of the Biden Administration.
Reaction of the domestic critics: As in the case of the contentious remarks made by US politicians such as Senator Bernie Sanders and Democratic Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, Obama's tasteless and incongruous comments have been eagerly seized upon and quoted by a few opposition leaders and known critics of Modi in India. For instance, Public Interest Lawyer and Activist Prashant Bhushan swiftly tweeted4, "Listen to this important advice from Obama to Biden & Modi’, while sharing the CNN video clip. Notably, he faced backlash from alert Indian Twitter users, many of whom cannot be classified as blind Modi supporters. Some other senior opposition leaders also engaged in similar antics, exposing only the lack of any constructive agenda. Their response also proved that their knee-jerk reactions were rooted in more in jealousy towards Modi or merely driven by a desire to remain in the news cycle, than any objective analysis.
India under Modi: Equality, Equity , Efficiency, Effectiveness and Egalitarianism: Prime Minister Modi's performance during his nine-year tenure speaks for itself, but delving into it in further detail is beyond the scope of this article. I call it the 5-E Era—“Amrit Kaal”, characterized by Equality, Equity , Efficiency, Effectiveness and Egalitarianism. Barring the the recent incidents in Manipur, communal riots have been virtually non-existent in the country under his leadership. Modi has endeavoured to align Indian polity with the true spirit of Article 15 of the Constitution, which emphasizes and embodies the concept of equality. While the Indian Constitution is perhaps unique in the world in so far as it grants special rights to linguistic and religious minorities as Fundamental Rights (Articles 29 and 30), no minority community can claim superiority either through affirmative action or appeasement. Any such arrangement continued in perpetuity would stress and stretch the national fabric, leading to avoidable tensions and conflicts.
Conclusions: Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dynamic and dedicated leadership, India continues to thrive both domestically and internationally. It is crucial not to be deterred by or excessively focus on the divisive comments of individuals like Barack Obama, who are politically irrelevant in their own country and may be motivated by personal agendas or the pursuit of lucrative speaking engagements. The opposition back home would also do well to come out with some constructive suggestions, rather than articulate and orchestrate a “Defeat Modi” slogan as a leitmotif of the so-called opposition unity.
The Modi juggernaut currently seems unstoppable and it appears that it will not be impeded by such detractors or distractions.However, 2024 is still months away and we all know that “a week is a long time in politics”.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/22/politics/barack-obama-interview-cnntv
Transcript culled from CNN’s website.
https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/cnr/date/2023-06-22/segment/22
These include predominantly Muslim countries Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, apart from Venezuela and North Korea (both non-Muslim), although Chad was added later.
Let it be said once & for all, Modi is Mahayogi! He stands firmly on centreground. To win, we need to use correct language, and cancel the venomous sophisticated semantic of global lies & manacled thought. Our ancient heritage is about Dharma, synonymous with Freedom.
I think this is just a political prostitution on part of Obama. He probably is paid by some group to say this.