Opinion | Irony Dies A Thousand Deaths As Barack Obama Lectures India On Human Rights

Prime Minister Narendra Modi sure knows how to put on an opulent show and allure eyeballs. His state visit to the United States, hosted by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, courts diligent attention for a myriad of reasons. First, he became the third world leader under Biden’s presidency to be invited for a state visit, the first two being France’s Emmanuel Macron and South Korea’s Yoon Suk Yeo. Second, these state visits are granted to heads of state, not heads of government. Suffice it to observe that PM Modi has not only outshined Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi in India but every other world leader of contemporary times on an international forum or global ratings platform. Third, this ought to be viewed as the Indian muscle flexing in the global arena, considering the US elections that are just around the corner in the foreseeable future.

From leading the International Day of Yoga celebrations at the United Nations HQ in New York to engaging with the industry giants exploring India-US trade and investment opportunities, bilateral and delegation-level engagements, the historical address at the joint session of the US Congress, and the sumptuous and scrumptious state dinner hosted by the Biden couple, it has been a jam-packed show for PM Modi.

All this while, the now redundant cohort comprising the Indian National Congress (INC) and its allied ecosystem, the all-pervasive left-liberal-woke commune — that is known to espouse pseudo-secularism — has been proactive in the run-up to the 2024 general elections in India, eyeing to dislodge Narendra Modi at any cost. While the usual overseas friends of the Congress were busy denigrating India’s democratic stance and system in the wake of Modi’s US visit, in an interesting turn of events, the 44th US President, Barack Obama, made contentious remarks during an interview with CNN news host Christiane Amanpour, just hours before PM Modi made his historic address at the joint session of the US Congress.

Obama dared to sermonise India by virtue-signalling about its ‘human rights’ record. Obama exhorted that the Biden administration informs the Indian prime minister about defending the ‘Muslim minority in a majority Hindu India.’ He also hinted at another ‘partition’ if India, under Modi’s leadership, did not change its ways. Obama remarked, “If President Joe Biden meets with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the protection of the Muslim minority in a majority Hindu India is something worth mentioning.” He added, “If I had a conversation with Prime Minister Modi, then part of the conversation would be that if you do not protect the rights of minorities, then there is a strong possibility that India at some point starts pulling apart… That would be contrary to the interests of India.”

Now there are quite a few precursors and aspects to the interview and statements that need to be deciphered.

1. The interviewer, Christiane Amanpour, is a senior advisor in the George Soros-funded Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). She is also a board member of the International Women’s Media Foundation, funded by Soros. Interestingly, these two alleged NGOs were among those who published a full-page paid ad in The Washington Post expounding that “Press freedom is under attack in India.” The very same Soros funds the Obama Foundation as well. The VP of the Open Society Foundation, founded by George Soros, was hobnobbing with Rahul Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. There is nothing left to the imagination here, but the math is simple and conspicuous.
2. Obama’s concern for Muslims seems dubious when one realises that he had launched airstrikes in at least seven Muslim-majority countries: Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Pakistan. As per reports, in 2016 alone, the Obama administration dropped at least 26,172 bombs, meaning three bombs every hour, 24 hours a day. These sanctioned acts of terror not only led to the extermination of tens of thousands but also rendered millions homeless.
3. The choice of words that Obama made was pernicious, for he clubbed democratic India with an authoritarian China and cried hoaxes about “Hindu India” and “Muslim India.” A similar trope was being proffered and propelled during the partition era: that the Muslims are being oppressed, they need a separate electorate and, subsequently, a separate nation, and that the culprit is the majority Hindus, and the leadership woos them, leaving the Muslims hopeless and hapless.
4. The timing of the interview is important. It came at a time when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Chinese President Xi Jinping, entailing that US President Joe Biden tagged him a ‘dictator’ whilst hosting Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the largest democracy. What Obama conceived was premeditated and well-orchestrated at a time when the White House is rolling out its red carpet for PM Modi.
5. Also, the Obama interview could be the last straw to clutch upon considering the precarious position China is embroiled in. Noteworthy is that Obama is a known fanboy of China, for it was he back then who touted the G2 idea, where China and the US would share the global might.

Obama’s first three secretaries of defence — Robert M Gates, Leon E Panetta, and Chuck Hagel — accused the Obama White House of micromanaging the military. As per author Hany Ghoraba, Barack Obama believed that he could separate the terror outfit Al-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood. “Empowering the Muslim Brotherhood would, according to Obama, weaken Al-Qaeda in a decision that can be considered one of the severest cases of political naiveté in modern times,” he noted.

We know how lethal that gamble proved, counting the losses — not just the number of lives lost and damage to the tune of billions — but also with regards to threatening world peace and security. It’s time for the United States and Obama to reflect before pontificating on anything, especially peace! The mask is off, Mr Obama.

Yuvraj Pokharna is an independent journalist and columnist. He tweets with @iyuvrajpokharna. Views expressed are personal.