India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

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Cain Marko
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Cain Marko »

Any deals announced? Gas, oil, nuclear? Weapons?
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Mort Walker »

Gas deal was yesterday and there's more which will come out. This isn't so much government to government, but more company to company.
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by darshhan »

Cain Marko wrote:Any deals announced? Gas, oil, nuclear? Weapons?
Potus did mention Petronet LNG deal .
anishns
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by anishns »

Whatever happened to the huge congregation of jihadis who were supposedly going to cause mayhem Londonistan style?
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by saip »

You will find them in Paki papers. While millions protested outside a few hundred were in the stadium or something like that.
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India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Peregrine »

Modi launches full-frontal attack on Pakistan in front of Trump, backing his fight against "radical Islamic terrorism" Chidanand Rajghatta | TNN

HIGHLIGHTS

- Launching an attack on Pak, PM Modi told the Indian-American crowd that time time has come for a decisive battle against terrorism

- “Whether it is terrorist attacks on 9/11(in New York) or 26/11 (in Mumbai), where were the planners of the attacks?” Modi asked, in an oblique reference to Pak

- Modi made an oblique reference to the situation following the J&K imbroglio, telling the audience that “everything is fine” in India


WASHINGTON: With President Trump seated in front of him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a full-frontal attack on Pakistan’s sponsorship of terrorism in India and across the world, telling a rapturous Indian-American crowd at the Howdy Modi rally on Sunday that the time has come for a decisive battle against terrorism.

Drawing from Trump’s blunt remarks earlier about the need to protect innocent civilians from “radical Islamic terrorism” that drew a standing ovation from Modi, the Indian delegation, and the Prime Minister invited the gathering to in turn give an ovation to Trump for his fight against terrorism.

Although Modi did not mention Pakistan by name, the reference and the context was obvious.

“People who can barely manage their country object to what has happened in India, ” Modi gibed at Pakistan’s chronic instability and Islamabad’s protests about India’s move to better integrate Jammu and Kashmir into the Indian union.

“Whether it is terrorist attacks on 9/11(in New York) or 26/11 (in Mumbai), where were the planners of the attacks?” Modi asked, in an oblique reference to Pakistan being home to Osama bin Laden and Khalid Shekh Mohammed, as Trump and the entire US Congressional delegation seated in the front row listened raptly.

At the conclusion of the event the two men walked hand in hand greeting the rapturous crowd in what could well have been a joint US-India political and electoral rally.

Earlier, both men affirmed their deepening engagement with a public display of affection and mutual show of political support pledging to take the relations to greater heights.

In a unprecedented, landmark event at Houston’s NRG stadium packed with an adoring Indian-American crowd, both men lavished praise on each other and talked their respective countries up, while pledging to put both nations on the path of greater prosperity and security. Short of a formal signed alliance, they pledged a partnership for the ages.

President Trump got a standing ovation from the crowd and the entire Indian delegation including Prime Minister Modi and external affairs minister S Jaishankar when he spoke of the need to protect innocent civilians from radical Islamic terrorism. “Border security is vital to the United States and border security is vital to India. We understand that, ” Trump told the crowd in one of standout moments of the event dubbed the “Howdy Modi” rally.

The statement was significant in the context of New Delhi’s effort to better integrate Jammu and Kashmir into the Indian union, a move that has attracted adverse reaction from Pakistan and some of the liberal commentariat, leading to heaving protests outside the stadium. Although Trump did not utter the K-word or make his pro-forma offer to mediate on the
matter, he made it obvious that the US stood by India.

Speaking after introducing Trump and after the US President’s remarks, Modi too made an oblique reference to the situation following the J&K imbroglio, telling the audience in different India languages that “everything is fine” in India.

Trump too doubled down on his immigration policies, insisting “we will take care Indian- Americans first before we take care of illegal immigrant, ” an implicit acknowledgement that most Indians immigrate legally.

Pledging to strengthen what he described as the United States’ “cherished bond” with India, Trump lavished praise on the high achievement Indian-American community promising “incredible advancement for our people…new cures and cutting edge technology that would lift millions and millions out of poverty.”

“The United States and India will make our nations stronger, our people wealthier, our dreams brighter, more than ever before, ” the US President promised.

Earlier Modi welcomed Trump the gala, both men clasping each other by the shoulders and waist like man-friends as they walked into the venue after greeting children dressed in Indian costumes. The Indian Prime Minister virtually endorsed Trump for a second term, talking up his achievements and praising “his sense of leadership, his passion for America, his concern for every American, his belief in the American future, and a strong resolve to make America great again.”

Some two dozen US lawmakers from both parties, including the two Texas Senators, John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, lined with collegial enthusiasm to endorse strong US-India ties. Modi greeted each individually before yielding the floor to Cruz, Cornyn, and Hoyer.

The bipartisan push for strong U.S-India relations extending across the Bush, Obama, and Trump presidencies was acknowledged by Hoyer, the second ranking Congressional Democrat and majority leader, who led the Democratic caucus to the Houston gala. The top ranking Democrat, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, did not make it to Houston by she will
be meeting external affairs minister S Jaishankar at an event to commemorate Gandhi Jayanti at the Libary of Congress on October 2.

Outside the venue, diverse groups of protestors – Pakistanis, Kashmiris, separatist Khalistanis, Indian civil liberties activists demonstrated behind barricades erected by the Houston police. Chants of “Azadi” and “India get out of Kashmir” rent the air with poster comparing Modi to Hitler and claiming a “genocide” in Kashmir, where the Indian government claims things have returned to normal except in a few districts in the Valley.

Although dwarfed by the pro-India crowd inside and outside the NRG stadium, the protests were of a significant size and passion in keeping with Houston’s diversity and a strong Muslim presence. “This dude is so bad even the introverts are here, ” one sign read.

The Pakistani hand in the protests was no secret. Seen among protestors was Pakistan’s federal minister for Kashmir Affairs, Ali Amin Gandapur, a presence that raised questions of diplomatic propriety.

In Video: PM Modi welcomes Donald Trump at 'Howdy, Modi' event, says his name is known toevery person on the planet

Cheers Image
Mort Walker
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Mort Walker »

anishns wrote:Whatever happened to the huge congregation of jihadis who were supposedly going to cause mayhem Londonistan style?
There were not that many of them and vastly outnumbered by Modi-India supporters.
Bart S
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Bart S »

Seen on Twitter:
POTUS ban gaya LOTUS.


:mrgreen:
A_Gupta
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by A_Gupta »

Stephen Miller cannot be happy with his boss Trump's praise of Indian immigrants.
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by IndraD »

customary rona dhona ..waiting for shanti doots, congys, ISI, Chinese to get nicker in twist
US President Trump and India PM Narendra Modi are authoritarian leaders who intimidate and exclude marginalized communities, chill the free press, and champion fake news and propaganda to whitewash their atrocities
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/09/21/opin ... ium=social
Roop
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Roop »

Karan M wrote:Energy import from US is a great move. Reduces our dependence on Iran (never felt comfortable with their blackmailing over Islamist issues and put us in direct conflict with Israel who public smiles apart was always grimacing at us), gets us to address US carping about trade balance, most importantly wins us supporters in US industry.. all this without putting crown jewels i.e. military assets in US control.
Bingo! I agree with every word of this.

And this:
Supratik wrote:Also more leverage in J&K(POK) to keep shut.
i.e. to keep Paki-pasand mouths shut.
Karan M wrote:Modi is demonstrating the power of the NRI community to domestic US politicians. Its taking the wind out of the sails of the Hindu hating leftists in US academia, assorted lobby groups, Islamists and Khalistanis. They are being made irrelevant. India no longer needs the brown EJ wannabes to intercede for its interests in the US if it has the diaspora united in its interests and a poweful bloc of US industry supporting it. These events are equal to several squadrons of F/A-18 E/F purchases in their own right!
Another bingo comment! :) By the way, I am not personally averse to the idea of buying several squadrons of F/A-18 E/F for the IN (not the IAF), depending on the circumstances. Just saying...
vimal
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by vimal »

Talk is cheap. Let's see how DTs admin behaves after all this. From what I see DT admin has been pretty hard on all immigrant community especially Indians due to all the visa related restrictions etc. If India still needs leverage from US to control J&K then it's not a good sign.
Philip
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Philip »

The nitty- gritty of the follow up on the Texas waltz aside,
the bonhomie is a fact as both the Donald and PM Modi need each other.Trump needs our money, markets and mandate ( Indo- Americans) pushing for his second term.
He wants us to buy American wares and we want him to blind-side Pak over Kashmir. Buying more US oil- and Russian too, reduces our dependence on volatile ME supplies. The proof of the pudding will be in the " eating", once the euphoria has settled down and the babus on both sides start their b* tching.
vimal
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by vimal »

^^ Not so sure about the mandate part. Indo-Americans are around 1% from what I know and they don't vote en-masse like peacefuls do.
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by disha »

vimal wrote:Talk is cheap. Let's see how DTs admin behaves after all this. From what I see DT admin has been pretty hard on all immigrant community especially Indians due to all the visa related restrictions etc. If India still needs leverage from US to control J&K then it's not a good sign.
Very fact that US Prez talked about radical islamic terrorism is a major thing.

Mentioning that article 370 was removed on the US soil with US President and several powerful congressmen listening to it (and implicitly agreeing to it) is also a signal that must not be missed. Criticizing that part of statement is like searching for fallen leaves in a deciduous forest and is a hallmark of -not-this-not-this-not-this- attitude.

As for India still needs leverage from US ostensibly to control J&K is a purposely wrong reading. One has to read about Robin Raphael and their master's Bill & Hillary Clinton to understand why of what is being done now the way it is being done.

And for dumbocrats, they took the side of radical islamic terrorism. That is a straight message. Dumbocrats can mend their ways, but then they have to dump their toxic corrupt pseudo-liberalism ways and have to pick up hindutva modified for US.
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by disha »

vimal wrote:^^ Not so sure about the mandate part. Indo-Americans are around 1% from what I know and they don't vote en-masse like peacefuls do.
They can learn to do now. Even 1% is a major swing factor in lot of key states.
Rajesh_MR
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Rajesh_MR »

vimal wrote:Talk is cheap. Let's see how DTs admin behaves after all this. From what I see DT admin has been pretty hard on all immigrant community especially Indians due to all the visa related restrictions etc.
What were/are the visa restrictions? I have heard of constant threat of removing H4 work permits, threat itself though enacted had same effect. Anything else?
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Nalla Baalu »

But, nothing can prepare you for 50K compatriots singing aloud Jana Gana Mana. Goose Bumps!

PS: I heard from folks watching on TV/Youtube that crowd chanting/responses were not captured. Must be the acoustics of the place or microphones on devices.
Primus wrote:The kids messed up the Indian anthem, IMHO. Probably too worked up.
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Nalla Baalu »

More like a minor irritant to folks who were using one of the 5-odd entrances into the NRG stadium. On my way into the stadium, I could see a stretch of quarter-mile (on a street with total four lanes) cordoned-off for protestors numbering 250-300. By the time event ended they were no where to be seen.
Mort Walker wrote:
anishns wrote:Whatever happened to the huge congregation of jihadis who were supposedly going to cause mayhem Londonistan style?
There were not that many of them and vastly outnumbered by Modi-India supporters.
KLNMurthy
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by KLNMurthy »

A_Gupta wrote:Stephen Miller cannot be happy with his boss Trump's praise of Indian immigrants.
We can only hope Miller will overreach with trump and get fired by tweet.
KLNMurthy
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by KLNMurthy »

Modi seems to have endorsed Trump for the coming US election on behalf of Indian-Americans. Otherwise, why bring up "abki baar Trump sarkar"?
Atmavik
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Atmavik »

disha wrote:
vimal wrote:^^ Not so sure about the mandate part. Indo-Americans are around 1% from what I know and they don't vote en-masse like peacefuls do.
They can learn to do now. Even 1% is a major swing factor in lot of key states.
more than votes parties are looking for funding. house hold income is twice the average
vimal
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by vimal »

I'm surprised at the ignorance of some of the forum members on how this US admin is treating immigrants including Indians in general. Life has become really hard after DT came to power and will get worse if he gets re-elected. I provide some data points below and let you decide if DT is really a friend of India/Indians.

Created a myriad of rulings to slow down the visa and extension process to a point where what used to take a month or two now takes three or four times more. You can google a lot of headlines but here is a sample https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-lab ... the-courts

Denial of visa extensions for no reason. I know many in my area who had to leave because they were denied extensions for no reason. Before you ask these were folks working in solid US based tech companies and had MS degrees from US universities. Some are now working from Canada and stuck there with their families.

Dependent visa restrictions. USCIS no longer processes dependent visa extensions along with primary visa holder's petition. This prevents dependent extensions along with primary, which causes dependents to go out of status due to slow processing times I already noted above. Only option then is to exit USA to get a fresh visa stamp and come back but how do you do this in the middle of school year or job. This also forces H4 EADs to be on a different cycle than primary and go out of status. A lot of employers avoid H4 EADs for aforementioned reason and fearing h4 revocation and I don't blame them. https://www.path2usa.com/blog/h4-ead-pr ... ng-delayed

Forced biometrics for extensions/green card even though they've been through the same process already during visa process. Take a day off from work/school and go to an office for finger printing/scans.

I can go on but this should suffice to open the eyes of the readers on this forum and see the reality of this administration and where they stand w.r.t to immigration and it's negative impact on Indians. All this high fives and howdy-mody is fine but the reality is that a lot Indians are having a very hard time in US due to DT admin. This admin has made life hell for thousands of legal immigrants. DT is a one of the most hated figure in desi community due to his policies. I don't understand why any Indian in his or her right mind would vote for him.
Last edited by vimal on 23 Sep 2019 06:59, edited 1 time in total.
Karan M
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Karan M »

If Trump gets a rapturous welcome from desis, there might be an off-chance he goes easy on Indian immigrants to the US too. Its not all one way traffic when Modi showcases Trump to the desi crowd and he laps up the attention. I remember in the 2003-4 timeframe vast majority of MS guys in the US getting crowded out of visa's by the crooked behavior of the H1B soaking desi IT firms. Both sides play the game, crooks make hay, and the average visa seeker who plays by the rules gets left behind.
Mort Walker
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Mort Walker »

vimal wrote:I'm surprised at the ignorance of some of the forum members on how this US admin is treating immigrants including Indians in general. Life has become really hard after DT came to power and will get worse if he gets re-elected. I provide some data points below and let you decide if DT is really a friend of India/Indians.

<snip>

I can go on but this should suffice to open the eyes of the readers on this forum and see the reality of this administration and where they stand w.r.t to immigration and it's negative impact on Indians. All this high fives and howdy-mody is fine but the reality is that a lot Indians are having a very hard time in US due to DT admin. This admin has made life hell for thousands of legal immigrants. DT is a one of the most hated figure in desi community due to his policies. I don't understand why any Indian in his or her right mind would vote for him.
The Republicans do want Indian immigrants, except for the hardcore EJs, but Trump's immigration policies have been bad for all people and not just Indians. Indians have not been singled out in this mess created by Stephen Miller. In the sum of all things, at this point in time, aside from Tulsi Gabbard, all other candidates from the opposition party have been lousy. So Trump will indeed get our vote.

We forget that Obummer gave a speech about religious intolerance at the National Prayer Breakfast in 2015 after his India trip.

Bottom line as told to me by another BRF member - Trump is good for India, but not good for Indians.
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by UlanBatori »

I have to interject a bit here. Things were actually worse back in 2006-2008. Maybe 2002-2008. Did they improve under BO? I don't know, but I don't think so. The immigration system is broken, and has been broken for a long time. Trump at least TALKS about merit being a criterion, but it stopped being a criterion way back, and several entities (including, sad to say, the Indian bodyshop lobby) want to keep merit out of the picture.

I am not sure how a "Friend of Indians" POTUS would be defined. Unlimited, super-fast H-1 visas, work permits for spouses of H-1B and F-1 holders, fast family immigration? For Indians only, or also for Pakis, Somalis, etc? I have tough time seeing why an unlimited number of H1B workers and their spouses coming and staying and converting to GC is going to be seen as being great for the United States. So I cannot argue that to someone. Please help me.

As MW says, the alternatives to trump are all FAAAAAAAAR Worse. On that there is absolutely no doubt.
Last edited by UlanBatori on 23 Sep 2019 07:32, edited 1 time in total.
vimal
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by vimal »

@UlanBatori just curious. How were things worse than they are now? Were the restrictions placed now in effect even then?
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by UlanBatori »

vimal wrote:@UlanBatori just curious. How were things worse than they are now? Were the restrictions placed now in effect even then?
Roughly 1 million (or more) people were stuck in a tri-sanku svargam. No response to queries, nothing. "FBI verification in progress". Green Card applications were stacked up beyond the horizon.

Only those who sued the government got switched to the front of the line, which pushed the patient remainder ever backwards with no hope of ever coming to the front.
The SAVE system (System for Alien Verification Etc) made a pig's breakfast of all the data. So for instance, someone on a GC could have returned from a 1-month break in India to the US on January 5, and goes to renew their driver's license on April 5. "There is no record of you entering the USA" per SAVE.
Come back in 10 working days. If you come back before then we will reset the clock and you will have to wait another 10 working days before enquiring. Oh, and don't drive once your license expires
Virender Sehwag's "Lunch ke baad ana" crack had nothing even close to this Catch-22 nightmare. That was actually during Obama's first term. Friend of India and Indians.
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by vnms »

I applied for my GC in Dec of 2003. My I-140 was stuck in 'security check' until 2009. I had to apply for a fresh LC, 140. Once the second I-140 got approved, they put a query on the 1st one.
Finally got my GC last year.

Btw, Dems would prefer to give GCs to illegals but not legals...
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by UlanBatori »

vnms wrote: Btw, Dems would prefer to give GCs to illegals but not legals...
That is about the gist of it.
vimal
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by vimal »

vnms wrote:
Btw, Dems would prefer to give GCs to illegals but not legals...
I've realized that the left doesn't care about legal immigrants and right hates them. Either way legal immigrants are screwed.
2003 to 2018 just for permanent residency is just crazy.
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by UlanBatori »

And.. would you trust your fate to this asshole instead?

BTW, I agree that Trump is wacko by most metrics of that term. As for his lackeys, I have nooo idea except that they are all racist crooks, but at least he fires them pretty fast and keeps them hopping. Someone who fired Ayatollah Bolton can't be all bad.
Last edited by UlanBatori on 23 Sep 2019 08:02, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by UlanBatori »

Traditionally, Dem House nitwits have brought anti-(like-Indian) immigrant legislation, but it is the Elephant senators in the pocket of Big Tech Biz who have always carved out a space for merit-based immigrants. They saw that as vital to competitiveness.

But in recent times the elephant herd has gone mad. Big Tech Biz has been bought out by PeeAllSee.

First the NeoCon Hitler-Jugend types gutted any sane elephant. Then the NeoCons self-destructed, stepping on their own mijjiles on ObamaCare and other things while Trump watched with glee. Now the elephants are in total confusion, the herd is milling about and goring each other in the backside.
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by suryag »

Btw UBCN news was the only channel to predict trump victory in 2016 what is their analysis now
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by KLNMurthy »

Karan M wrote:If Trump gets a rapturous welcome from desis, there might be an off-chance he goes easy on Indian immigrants to the US too. Its not all one way traffic when Modi showcases Trump to the desi crowd and he laps up the attention. I remember in the 2003-4 timeframe vast majority of MS guys in the US getting crowded out of visa's by the crooked behavior of the H1B soaking desi IT firms. Both sides play the game, crooks make hay, and the average visa seeker who plays by the rules gets left behind.
The dynamics of the Howdy Modi "show" were really a projection of power by Modi. The body language spoke volumes, as did the actual language (Did Modi really have the audacity to wave at 50K American citizens, taxpayers and voters and say to Trump, "You introduced me to your family (of 4 people) but these people right here are *my* family?" To my great shock he did. Then he rubbed it in by boasting about his family back home, the now-familiar 1.3 Billion Indians.). The body language and walk was that of a general inspecting an invisible guard of honor. The deep-bow namaste at the end was to soften the impact, to decompress the domination game he played for the entire speech. If the US politicians in attendance had any intelligence they would be terrified of this man.

It's too early to tell but I think, with this event, Modi subtly put India in the driver's seat (well, maybe slid India towards the driver's seat) in the India-US relationship. If I am right, it would be an unprecedented position for both India and the US to find themselves in, and they would both have to make adjustments in their outlook. How it would play out is unpredictable at this point, but one possible outcome could, in fact, be that Indian immigrants will be treated with more respect by US officialdom. (I still remember and seethe at how Pres. Kalam was treated on his private visit, and I don't think Trump was president then).

This was another reminder, as if I needed reminding: Do not underestimate The Mudi. And be very very grateful to the Almighty that he is batting for India.
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by darshhan »

vimal wrote:I'm surprised at the ignorance of some of the forum members on how this US admin is treating immigrants including Indians in general. Life has become really hard after DT came to power and will get worse if he gets re-elected. I provide some data points below and let you decide if DT is really a friend of India/Indians.

Created a myriad of rulings to slow down the visa and extension process to a point where what used to take a month or two now takes three or four times more. You can google a lot of headlines but here is a sample https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-lab ... the-courts

Denial of visa extensions for no reason. I know many in my area who had to leave because they were denied extensions for no reason. Before you ask these were folks working in solid US based tech companies and had MS degrees from US universities. Some are now working from Canada and stuck there with their families.

Dependent visa restrictions. USCIS no longer processes dependent visa extensions along with primary visa holder's petition. This prevents dependent extensions along with primary, which causes dependents to go out of status due to slow processing times I already noted above. Only option then is to exit USA to get a fresh visa stamp and come back but how do you do this in the middle of school year or job. This also forces H4 EADs to be on a different cycle than primary and go out of status. A lot of employers avoid H4 EADs for aforementioned reason and fearing h4 revocation and I don't blame them. https://www.path2usa.com/blog/h4-ead-pr ... ng-delayed

Forced biometrics for extensions/green card even though they've been through the same process already during visa process. Take a day off from work/school and go to an office for finger printing/scans.

I can go on but this should suffice to open the eyes of the readers on this forum and see the reality of this administration and where they stand w.r.t to immigration and it's negative impact on Indians. All this high fives and howdy-mody is fine but the reality is that a lot Indians are having a very hard time in US due to DT admin. This admin has made life hell for thousands of legal immigrants. DT is a one of the most hated figure in desi community due to his policies. I don't understand why any Indian in his or her right mind would vote for him.
Your concerns are valid. But then much more at stake than H1B visa and Green card issue. Trump might not be good for NRIs, but there are other geopolitical issues where he is the best bet for India. All others except Tulsi are compromised deeply by deep state and are reflexively anti Indian and Pro islam. This is true for both democrats and republicans.
manjgu
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by manjgu »

though a v successful visit , India still is not in the drivers seat. till we have more economic and military heft and resolve some our outstanding issues, we will be beholden to the Americans for times to come. but a v good start... though i have my doubts on indian immigrants getting more respect from US officialdom. Lets see how it pans out...
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Mort Walker »

NRao
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by NRao »

Don’t Mess With Modi in Texas
HOUSTON — Who could resist an audience of more than 50,000 Indian-Americans packed into a Texas football stadium? Not Donald Trump, on the eve of an election year, so he joined the “Howdy, Modi!” party here to proclaim, with the Indian prime minister, a great future of shared values and mutual reinforcement for the world’s two largest democracies.

It was quite a rah-rah Lone Star State show, boasting Indian-Texan cheerleaders. It was also freighted with political significance. Less than two months after Narendra Modi, with strong backing from Parliament, revoked Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, eliminating the special autonomous status of the Kashmir region and clamping down on the mainly Muslim territory, Trump chose to signal approval by standing side-by-side with the prime minister.

The president got his biggest cheer by saying the United States was determined to help protect India from the threat of “radical Islamic terrorism.” As for Modi, he brought the house down when he declared that his “new India” was bidding farewell to open defecation, taxes that are an obstacle to jobs, 350,000 shell companies, 80 million fake names used to defraud the government and — wait for it — Article 370.

“This article has deprived the people of Jammu and Kashmir of development and equal rights,” Modi said. “The forces fanning terror and terrorism were exploiting the situation.”

Then, taking aim at Muslim-majority Pakistan, whose covert backing of militant groups in Kashmir goes back decades, he threw down the gauntlet to Islamabad: “India’s actions within its boundaries are causing discomfort to some people who are unable to manage their own country. These people have put their hatred for India at the center of their political agenda.”

The situation in Kashmir, a perennial South Asian flash point where war has flared more than once between India and Pakistan, has festered for a long time. Its economy is stagnant, its potential blocked. The two countries, both nuclear-armed, always blame each other for the collapse of outreach. Both Modi, since taking office in 2014, and Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan, elected last year, have made conciliatory gestures and found them aborted in violence. For Modi, enough was enough.

His response has been sweeping. It appears to have involved significant human rights abuses. Several thousand Kashmiri political and business leaders have been rounded up, internet connections and mobile phone lines have been cut off, and Indian security forces have poured into the streets. Still, by Kashmiri standards, bloodshed has been limited; and India insists the communications blackout was intended to block social-media incitement to more violence.

Kashmir illustrates how the Trump administration’s indifference to human rights issues offers carte blanche to leaders like Modi. American pushback has disappeared. Modi, who talked up India’s diversity in his speech, has no incentive to keep his Hindu nationalist base in check. That could prove dangerous as he fast-forwards his country.

The question, however, is whether Modi had any choice in Kashmir and whether, over time, the revocation of an article conceived as temporary breaks the Kashmiri logjam, pries open the stranglehold of corrupt local elites and offers a better future. I think it might.

“We revoked a temporary constitutional provision that slowed down development, created alienation, led to separatism, fed terrorism and ended up as a deadly national security problem,” Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the external affairs minister of India, told me. “We know the last 70 years did not work in Kashmir. It has bled us. It would be Einsteinian insanity to do the same thing and expect a different result.”

The reaction of Khan, the Pakistani prime minister, has been wild. Suggesting Modi has sympathy for the Third Reich, comparing him to a Fascist leader and stating that he may commit “genocide,” is to protest too much. Raising the possibility of nuclear war is reckless. All this suggests his bluff has been called.

If Pakistan is so concerned about Nazi Germany, it might begin by recognizing the State of Israel. Whether Pakistan really wants a solution in Kashmir, the region that justifies its bloated military budget, and whether it can ever transparently demonstrate that its intelligence services have stopped finding uses for radical Islamism in its various violent forms, remain open questions.

They are important questions for the United States, as it contemplates a military withdrawal from Afghanistan. A quandary for Trump now will be how to secure Pakistani support, rather than suffer an incensed Pakistan’s sabotage, if he moves forward with his promise to bring American troops home.

Modi will not turn back from his elimination of Kashmir’s autonomy. That phase of Indian history is over. Trump and Modi are both forceful, media-savvy politicians. But they are not alike. Modi, a self-made man from a poor family, is measured, ascetic, not driven by impulse. Trump was born on third base. He’s erratic, guided by the devouring needs of his ego. I’d bet on Modi to transform India, all of it, including the newly integrated Kashmir region.

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Roger Cohen has been a columnist for The Times since 2009. His columns appear Wednesday and Saturday. He joined The Times in 1990, and has served as a foreign correspondent and foreign editor. @NYTimesCohen
Santosh
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Santosh »

Today's event was an ultimate power projection by Modi as a resurgent India seeks to get in the driver's seat in India-US relationship. I think pieces of puzzle are aligning. Huawei has been shown the door by both Jio and Bharti and they have tied up with Samsung and Ericson/Nokia respectively. Both Trump and Modi have spoken decisively against Islamic terrorism followed by Modi's call for standing ovation for Trump. Today's event may have been a subtle way of telling Trump to play nice with Indian American community and that he has the power to sway their votes towards him.
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