by B. R. GOWANI
U & I
U stands for the United States
I stands for India
U also means TrUmp
I also means ModI
Trump is United States (in his mind)
Modi is India (in his mind)
Trump treats the US as his personal property
Modi treats India as his personal property
Trump doesn’t want immigrants in the US
Modi doesn’t want Muslims in India
in time, Trump will get rid of non-whites in the US
given time, Modi will get rid of all other religious minorities
TrUmp is U
ModI is I
The White racist and the brown communalist
The bonhomie between the US President Donald Trump, an openly white racist and nationalist, and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Hindu nationalist and communalist to the core, may seem questionable to most people at first sight.
Why would Trump, who doesn’t like black and brown people and who only wants white people especially Norwegians, in the United States befriend a brown Hindu who is sometimes targeted for his accent and made fun of?
Trump who prefers the English language only, has no problem uttering a five-word sentence in Hindi/Urdu in order to get the Indian vote in the US.
The relationship between both leaders is of mutual need:
- Trump wants Indian votes and money for the 2020 election.
- Indians form one of the richest groups in the US and its lobbying power will be an envy of other lobbying groups in the near future.
- Trump also has Trump Towers in Delhi, Pune, and Mumbai.
- Modi’s needs are somewhat similar.
- Modi too wants money from the Indians settled in the US.
- His followers, the Hindu zealots in the US play a big role in molding US politicians to have a soft spot for Modi’s India.
- Remember September 2019’s ‘Howdy Modi‘ gathering in Houston where Trump and many politicians from Republican and Democratic parties joined a huge gathering of Indians to welcome Modi?
For a long time now, the Israel Lobby has played a puppeteer gearing the US Middle East policies to its own advantage, at the expense of Palestinian land and its people while wreaking havoc in the region. The same tragic policies are to be expected from the Indian lobby for the South Asian region.
One important thing which brings these two leaders and Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu together is their extreme hatred for Muslims.
Another factor: Modi has a dream of becoming a world leader. But till that time, he doesn’t mind playing second fiddle to the most powerful person. It is a central characteristic of a bully: he kicks ass of a person weaker than himself and kiss the ass of a person more powerful than himself.
Bereft of ideas
Trump and Modi have not done anything for their supporters:
Trump’s tariff war costs have been borne by the common people that include his own base.
Modi’s demonetization of certain currency bills at short notice, not only created utter chaos, but also resulted in deaths, plenty of misery for the common people, and slowdown of the Indian economy.
Both leaders are bereft of humane ideas; they basically survive on:
- spreading raw hate,
- arranging large rallies to satisfy their huge egos,
- inciting their followers (so they vent out their economic and other frustrations on minorities and liberals rather than turning on their own leaders),
- travel to other countries to run away from their countries’ domestic problems,
- indulge in self-praising.
- When together, they praise each other.
- Modi is fond of getting selfies and Trump revels in tweeting.
- Both are by nature extremely cruel and so create policies which result in pain and suffering for many people.
Democracy and pluralism
Neither Modi nor Trump believe in either democracy or pluralism; they are thugs with fascist tendencies who use words to hide their authoritarian traits.
Modi used these words:
“India and USA share a common commitment to democracy and pluralism.
And the reality is:
- The existence of India’s minorities, especially Muslims, shiver with fear from the Hindu communalist nationalism.
- The Rabid Hindu zealots are openly threatening Muslims verbally and violently, in many areas.
- In Delhi, the country’s capital, Hindu mobs shouting “Jai Shri Ram” or “Victory to Lord Rama,” have burned and looted shops, killed or burned people to death, and mosques have been burned and destroyed.
- One of the mosques’ minaret had a Hindu flag flown over it before it saw its end.
- 38 people have died between Sunday and Wednesday.
- Trump and his royal family was in India but Trump didn’t say anything, he kept his mouth shut. Or one should say he was observing a vow of silence.
Muslim hater visits Muslim mausoleum
Continuing the irony in his visit, Donald Trump visited the Taj Mahal, a monument of love built by India’s Mughal Muslim emperor Shahjahan.
In the visitors book, Trump and the First Lady Melania jotted down the following note:
“The Taj Mahal inspires awe. A timeless testament to the rich and diverse beauty of Indian culture! Thank you India.”
One may wonder, if historically impaired Trump was aware of the irony that he was extolling at a monument built by a Muslim ruler.
Three wise monkeys
Trump and Melania also visited the Gandhi Ashram, where Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, one of the founding fathers of modern India, resided for over a decade.
Trump’s message at the Ashram was:
“To my great friend Prime Minister Modi – thank you for this wonderful visit.”
At Gandhi’s Ashram, Trump had not a single word for Gandhi. Why?
Trump is a man of many possibilities:
- He forgot;
- it didn’t occur to him;
- he doesn’t give a damn;
- he was calculating mentally how much benefit his Indian trip will accrue in terms of Indian votes;
- and so on.
The Trumps were gifted: Gandhi’s autobiography, Gandhi’s engraved Talisman written in 1947, and a statue of three wise monkeys.
- One monkey has covered his eyes denoting not to see evil,
- the other one has covered his ears to avoid hearing evil, and
- the third one has covered his mouth to refrain from speaking evil.
The gift giver sees evil, hears evil, speaks evil, and does evil. So does the receiver. But they are masters of deception.
Hypocrisy has always been around, but our times are the most transparently hypocritical.
B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com