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International columnist, political analyst and senior journalist Ahmed Mohiuddin Siddiqui’s articles are published across Asia, Africa and Europe. He writes for The Moroccan Times, The Tunis Times, India Tomorrow, Kohram News, The Etemaad Urdu Daily and for news papers published from Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. You can follow him on Twitter at: @journopolana[/symple_box]
Muscat, Sultanate of Oman-Every person has the right to practice his faith without any persecution, fear or discrimination, opined the American President Barack Obama in New Delhi, the capital of the Republic of India on Tuesday before leaving for Saudi Arabia. President Obama stressed that India will succeed as long as it is not splintered on religious lines.
Perhaps, he had in mind the hate campaign unleashed against the Muslims by some of the ministers in the central government of the right wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), headed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. One of the ministers Niranjan Jyoti had allegedly referred to Muslims as ‘Haramzadas’ (Bastards) in an election rally in New Delhi, which led to stalling of the Indian Parliament two months ago. There is also an on-going campaign started by the Hindu extremist umbrella organizations like the Hindu Mahasabha to covert India’s more than 200 million Muslims and other minorities to Hindusim. There are calls from Hindu Parliamentarians and religious leaders to Hindu women to produce at least ten children each to ‘safeguard’ Hinduism in India.
President Obama concluded a 3-day visit to India, where he was the first American president to attend the Republic Day celebrations as the chief guest on 26th January 2015. He watched in awe the military might of India at the parade. He paid glowing tributes to Mahatma Gandhi, who led India to freedom from the British in 1947. He planted a sapling at Mahatma Gandhi’s final resting place – Raj Ghat in New Delhi.
The American President Obama supported India’s candidature for a permanent seat in the United Nations’ Security Council. He expressed his belief that the world will be safer and more secure when its largest and oldest democracies – India and the US stand together. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that President Obama’s visit has opened a new chapter in the Indo-US ties. It is not out of place to mention that the US had denied a Visa to Narendra Modi for a long time to visit the United States because of his inability to control the genocide of Muslims in the Indian state of Gujarat in 2002 and the human rights violations were documented. Modi was issued a Visa to visit the US only after he became the Prime Minister of India last year.
The United States of America (USA) and India are embarking on a new strategic partnership and the US President termed India as a natural partner. Three Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed between India and the US to get the US involved in the development of three Indian cities – Ajmer, Allahabad and Vishakhapatnam as Smart cities. The defence ties between India and the US moved to a rare higher level of engagement with joint production of military hardware including drones under the Defense Trade and technology Initiative (DTTI).
President Obama breached protocol when he arrived separately at the Indian Republic Day function in his highly armoured vehicle ‘The Beast’, which acts as a security shield of the US president. The American president had last visited India in 2010. This was his second visit to India, while in office.
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International columnist, political analyst and senior journalist Ahmed Mohiuddin Siddiqui’s articles are published across Asia, Africa and Europe. He writes for The Moroccan Times, The Tunis Times, India Tomorrow, Kohram News, The Etemaad Urdu Daily and for news papers published from Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. You can follow him on Twitter at: @journopolana[/symple_box]
