28.1.15

Obamanama






US President Barack Obama waded into the raging conversion dispute as he reminded the Indian government and people that they ought to ensure freedom of religion as enshrined in Article 25 of the Indian Constitution.
While Obama's assertion was more of a nudge than an admonition, he spoke at length about the freedom to be able to practise one's religion, reading out from Indian Constitution which guarantees freedom to practise and propagate religion. “Your Article 25 says that all people are `equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practice and propagate religion',“ Obama said in his address to a largely young audience, hours ahead of his departure from India.
“In both our countries, in all countries, upholding this fundamental freedom is the responsibility of government, but it's also the responsibility of every person,“ he added. Obama went on to say that India was going to succeed so long as it was not splintered on sectarian lines. He recalled the attack on a Sikh temple in Wisconsin, saying the act of violence had both India and US reaffirming that every person had the right to practise the faith of their choice.
To further drive home his point about religious tolerance in India, Obama mentioned the recognition achieved by people like Shah Rukh Khan, Milkha Singh and Mary Kom, all from minority communities, in India.
Obama's remarks came during the course of his almost hour-long speech titled `India and America: The Future We Can Build Together“. According to a report in New York Times, Obama was under pressure from advocacy groups to take up the issue of human rights while in India. Among his audience was Kailash Satyarthi, a fellow Nobel Peace Laureate. The focus on religion, though, was just one aspect of his speech in which he made a compelling case for stronger Indo-US cooperation.“India and US are natural partners but I believe they can also be best partners,“ he said. Obama also backed the just concluded negotiations for operationalizing the civil nuclear agreement which, he said, could help fight climate change through clean energy .He touched upon a number of global issues as he exhorted India to play a bigger role, saying with greater power came more responsibility .
“The United States welcomes a greater role for India in the Asia Pacific, where freedom of navigation must be upheld and disputes must be resolved peacefully ,“ said Obama. While reiterating support for India's candidature for permanent membership of UNSC, he said the two countries could work together for peace and stability in the region, including in Burma and Sri Lanka where, he said, there was new hope for democracy . He also sought closer partnership between the two countries in security and defence.
The speech was peppered by references to Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr and also Vivekananda who, he said, brought to the US yoga and Hinduism.Twice Obama addressed the audience as sisters and brothers of India after he referred to Vivekananda's speech in Chicago where he addressed the US audience as sisters and brothers of America.
The manner in which Obama invoked his own background and also America's racial segregation in the past in pressing India on issues like women rights and religious freedom helped temper his message which could still ruffle some feathers here. Obama mentioned how his grandfather was the son of a cook in the British army .
“Even as we live in a world of wrenching inequities, we're also proud to live in countries where even the grandson of a cook can become president, even a Dalit can help write a constitution, and even a tea-seller can become prime minister,“ Obama said, as he recalled how King Jr was introduced in a school as a “fellow untouchable'' when he visited India.














US President Barack Obama's India visit was initially seen as more about symbolism than substance, but as it turned out, this was one of the most substantive engagements between the two countries with outgoing foreign secretary Sujatha Singh describing it as historic. Obama backed India to play a bigger role on global issues as he reiterated support to India's candidature for a permanent membership of UN security council. The following are some of the important takeaways:

Nuclear Deal
The end of the nuclear logjam was a big takeaway because it was alone acting as an impediment in deepening strategic ties. India didn't give in to any intrusive monitoring of its nuclear facilities and supplies and removed the liability hurdle through an insurance pool without diluting its liability law. It remains to be seen though if a nuclear accident victim retains the right to sue suppliers as envisaged in the law. But with the governments out of the way , it is over to businesses to do the cost-benefit analysis.

Asia-Pacific vision
The two governments issued a joint strategic vision for Asia Pacific and Indian Ocean in what may be one of the most significant foreign policy statements by the Modi government. Coupled with last year's Modi-Obama joint statement, it shows that Modi is not averse to an eventual amalgamation of India's Act East and US' Asia pivot. PM Modi is himself said to have been very keen on signing the China-centric strategic vision after he shared his fear of an “expansive“ China with Obama. This is a considerable shift from the stand of the UPA which was more inhibited about endorsing the US pivot to Asia.

Defence
India and the US renewed their broad 10-year defence framework, with the Defence Trade and Technology Initiative (DTTI) being the key new element. Under it, the two have chosen four relatively modest military products ­ Raven miniUAVs, aircraft reconnaissance modules, mobile electric power sources & soldier protective gear ­ for co-development and production. Plus, the two nations also agreed to set up two working groups to explore development of aircraft carrier technologies and jet engines, which are more high-end.

India-US: Best Partners
The decision to elevate the strategic partnership with a Declaration of Friendship strengthens and expands the relationship between India and the US.Among other things, it also envisages regular summit meets. Signaling the natural affinity enjoyed by our two nations, as the White House said in a press release, this declaration proclaims a higher level of trust and coordination that will continue to draw the two governments and people together across the spectrum of human endeavor for a better world.

A warning from Obama
Obama may have handed another takeaway in the form of a thinly veiled warning that religious tolerance is imperative for India's success. Coming from a country the Modi government sees as indispensable for its own economic success and overall global standing, it may not be easy to just wish Obama's assertion away .If this leads Modi to, at some stage, publicly shun fringe elements associated with BJP and their controversial religious conversion programme, it will only help raise India's and his own stature.

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