India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

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

Post by Mort Walker »

Why the hell is the US DoS giving warnings to stay out of eastern MH? That is the Vidarbha region (Nagpur and Amravati districts where Hindi is spoken more than Marathi). Some of the most scenic areas in India with beautiful forests and wildlife in national parks.
saip
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by saip »

Cain Marko wrote:
Mort Walker wrote:
Where are the elected representatives and senators from the Democratic Party and why did they not meet Modi?
Strange indeed.
This is the delegation that the Chinese called 'the sneaky rats'. They went to India, Philippines and TAIWAN. Their aim could be to upset the Chinese and undercut Biden admin.
Mort Walker
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Mort Walker »

^^^How is engaging with India going to undercut the Xiden administration?
hnair
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by hnair »

saip wrote: This is the delegation that the Chinese called 'the sneaky rats'. They went to India, Philippines and TAIWAN. Their aim could be to upset the Chinese and undercut Biden admin.
Since when did pissing off china by a few US elected-representatives became "undercutting Biden admin" and how much more would China show its upset than Xi yelling at Biden on the face as he quietly listened recently?
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by vijayk »

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/artic ... 0-purchase

Editorial Board
Don’t Let Sanctions Chill Warming Ties With India
To preserve a crucial relationship, President Joe Biden should waive penalties for the fellow Quad member’s purchase of a Russian missile system.

May be the supremacist/jihadi/marxist filthy media scums are now worried about China?
Second, expecting India to forgo Russian arms — the goal of the sanctions law — is unrealistic in the short to medium term. By one estimate, 85% of India’s major weapons systems rely on Russian equipment; it can’t cut off ties quickly or easily. But the U.S. can take comfort in the fact that Russia’s share of Indian arms imports is declining, and that India’s rationale for buying the system — it contends the S-400 is cheaper and more effective than American-made alternatives — is more practical than ideological.

Most important, India is plainly cooperating with the U.S. on other security matters — one of the key conditions for a sanctions waiver. As a member of the Quad along with the U.S., Japan and Australia, India is contributing to efforts to manufacture Covid-19 vaccines, secure critical supply chains, and maintain a “free and open” Indo-Pacific region. It has also been conducting more military exercises with the U.S. and its allies.
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Amber G. »

Meanwhile: For a period .. Acting President Harris, with “the powers and duties of [the] office.”
She is the first woman in US history to do so. First Indian American too.
President Biden will transfer power to Vice President Kamala Harris for the brief period of time when he is under anesthesia today ...“The Vice President will work from her office in the West Wing during this time.”
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Amber G. »

Seen somewhere in Central Market in Fort Worth, Tx.

Image

Modi Apples, I am told, is a cross between Gala and Liberty apples, introduced to the US in 2014. Gala (a festive celebration) and Liberty -- Who is not going to like that mix!
< <link> > A cross between the gala and liberty apple, Modì® apples were created by researchers to be an eco-friendly variety resistant to scab and other diseases
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Aditya_V »

https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/diasp ... ath-345109
She wrote: "My father passed away on Monday and this incident took place at New York on Tuesday. I begged and pleaded for nearly an hour as my husband & I were threatened to be blacklisted from ever getting an Indian visa and the NYPD was called on us. As I cried I was also told by security that I live in the United States and am no longer an Indian - and have no rights. No 'reason' for this level of apathy and indifference is acceptable with any person let alone someone who found out they lost their father a few hours ago and are begging for help.”
I feel there 2 aspects, 1 the woman was emotionally stressed and wanted to go to India- understandable, but the authorities need to check the genuineness and follow procedures of law.

One thing I notice among NRI- they are disciplined with Foreign Governments and agencies but many look really down in India. The moment the flight lands in India they want to break ques and take liberties which they would not dare do with Government whose Citizenship they hold. For many the greatest success in their life is attaining a foreign citizenship- good for them. But there is no reason to take down to resident Indians, those migrated post development did not build the good infrastructure there and it will take India a few decades to catch up- but that should not be a reason to talk down.
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by vimal »

^^ Ask how many visas are denied to Indians routinely by US embassy with no reason. I have friends who were stranded in India after they were denied visas for no good reason and had to sell their homes, cars and everything in US from India. It's brutal but thats how it is.
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Yagnasri »

While we all should accept the emotional and other relations and situations, once the citizenship is given up there can be no demand or compliant based on the family and other links for visa etc. That is the brutal fact of like. We also do not get anything from the US fellows in their visa counter in Bharat. One can be sure the US public gives a rats a&& if there is such press report as above about how citizens of Bharat are mistreated when they wanted to have a urgent travel due to death etc. to the US.

I am sure OIC Card can be obtained much easily now and Ex citizens can make use of that facility for easy travel.
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Mort Walker »

If you don't have a current visa, there shouldn't be any expectations of an immediate visa issuance. In this case the person(s) were issued a visa. The question is, did it happen after posting on Twitter?
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by titash »

Amber G. wrote:Seen somewhere in Central Market in Fort Worth, Tx.

{Deleted inline image dup}

Modi Apples, I am told, is a cross between Gala and Liberty apples, introduced to the US in 2014. Gala (a festive celebration) and Liberty -- Who is not going to like that mix!
< <link> > A cross between the gala and liberty apple, Modì® apples were created by researchers to be an eco-friendly variety resistant to scab and other diseases
I walked past that sign in that very exact store last week :lol:
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Atmavik »

vimal wrote:^^ Ask how many visas are denied to Indians routinely by US embassy with no reason. I have friends who were stranded in India after they were denied visas for no good reason and had to sell their homes, cars and everything in US from India. It's brutal but thats how it is.
Me too . I had to re build everything again. After my emotions cammed down I realized the truth that visa is a privilege and not a right.

While this woman’s case might be genuine but process has to followed. We don’t want a repeat of David headly case
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by sudarshan »

vimal wrote:^^ Ask how many visas are denied to Indians routinely by US embassy with no reason. I have friends who were stranded in India after they were denied visas for no good reason and had to sell their homes, cars and everything in US from India. It's brutal but thats how it is.
There is also the glaring fact that - Modi himself is still on the US visa denial list. He's able to travel to the USA as the PM of India, but failing that, he would be denied a visa with extreme prejudice.
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by putnanja »

US consulates don't even allow phones into the building. They mention it in appointment letter and also do security check before letting you inside, and if you have a phone, ask you to keep it out. And everyone knows the condescending way that most of US visa officers deals with Indians, not a new thing. Not only is this woman violating rules by filming into consulate, she also claims some divine right just because she was once an Indian citizens.
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by vera_k »

IMO the Indian consulates need to take another look at their procedures. Conflict can be minimized by returning documents with or without visa at a fixed time like what the US consulates do. Also, security seems missing in action when this person turned combative.
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Bart S »

putnanja wrote:US consulates don't even allow phones into the building. They mention it in appointment letter and also do security check before letting you inside, and if you have a phone, ask you to keep it out. And everyone knows the condescending way that most of US visa officers deals with Indians, not a new thing. Not only is this woman violating rules by filming into consulate, she also claims some divine right just because she was once an Indian citizens.
She also tagged Vir Das in her complaint :roll:
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Karan M »

We only know what's shown in the video. We don't know what happened before hand to make the embassy official react the way he did. Given how many of our folks go out of their way to genuinely assist those in need, there is definitely something off about the whole incident, including how the lynch mob is being sicc'ed on the official in question.
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by vimal »

Bart S wrote:
putnanja wrote:US consulates don't even allow phones into the building. They mention it in appointment letter and also do security check before letting you inside, and if you have a phone, ask you to keep it out. And everyone knows the condescending way that most of US visa officers deals with Indians, not a new thing. Not only is this woman violating rules by filming into consulate, she also claims some divine right just because she was once an Indian citizens.
She also tagged Vir Das in her complaint :roll:

Couple of points about this whole thing:

1. Indian consulates are piss poorly managed. I've been there once and there isn't even a security guard or crowd control mechanism.
2. I hope that the consulate office has a CCTV camera that captured what happened before. That must be made public.
3. Visas should be granted strictly on first come first serve basis and by prior appointment. No exceptions except for official/diplomatic visits etc.
4. By instituting an inquiry against the visa officer, MEA has made a grave mistake. Every Tom, Dick and Harry with camera phone can now go on Twitter and create ruckus. This is another way to bully your way to the front of the line while everyone else ahead of you suffers.
5. MEA needs to grow a spine.
Last edited by vimal on 04 Dec 2021 00:05, edited 1 time in total.
Tanaji
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Tanaji »

Visas are normally handled by those VFS chaps for initial screening. Why was she in the embassy in the first place? Is it because of Covid?
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by vera_k »

^Consulates have special procedures that allow applying in person for issuing visas in the case of an emergency.
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by KLNMurthy »

Aditya_V wrote:
...
One thing I notice among NRI- they are disciplined with Foreign Governments and agencies but many look really down in India. The moment the flight lands in India they want to break ques and take liberties which they would not dare do with Government whose Citizenship they hold. For many the greatest success in their life is attaining a foreign citizenship- good for them. But there is no reason to take down to resident Indians, those migrated post development did not build the good infrastructure there and it will take India a few decades to catch up- but that should not be a reason to talk down.
Indeed. As an NRI myself, I have noticed this time & again. As soon as the plane lands in an Indian airport, some of them turn into the worst stereotype of the chaotic and undisciplined Indian, all the while berating India for how dirty and chaotic it is.
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by sanjaykumar »

A privilege of western citizenship is we become Sahibs and Memsahibs when the plane touches down in India.
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Cyrano »

Kamala Harris' facial expressions and body language, and that of the rest of the people she's with, all seem terribly tense and lost. Biden was given her a couple of head-scratchers and she cant come out of her wrangling with them.

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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Haresh »

it seems that it is not just Indian origin kids in the USA/west who get a bit lost.

https://asianmentalhealthproject.com/20 ... community/
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Pratyush »

<POOF>

Admin note: Sexist comments and references about gonads and political figures does not belong in this forum.
Last edited by hnair on 08 Dec 2021 01:21, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: Warning issued
Cyrano
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Cyrano »

Biden deliberately chose a weak VP who won't undercut him? Possible...
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by vijayk »

<POOF>
hnair
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by hnair »

Admin note: Folks are once again straying into expressing personal opinions about US politicians etc without expressing clearly on how it will affect the subject mentioned in the thread: “Indio-US Relations”

No more thread deviations!!
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by ricky_v »

https://www.afr.com/world/north-america ... 208-p59fpi
US President Joe Biden’s overriding message to representatives of more than 100 nations in his virtual “Summit for Democracy”, which starts on Thursday (Friday AEDT), bears some resemblance to that of his former boss Barack Obama in Egypt more than a decade ago.

On June 4, 2009, Obama’s speech at Cairo University sought to bridge the widening gap between the Western and Islamic worlds, while calling for autocratic leaders across the Middle East and northern Africa to hear the call of their people for more personal freedoms and democratic rule.

Eighteen months later, in what became known as the “Arab Spring” pro-democracy protests and uprisings swept across the region, set off by a popular revolution against corruption and economic stagnation in Tunisia.
https://www.state.gov/summit-for-democracy/
On Thursday, December 9, President Biden will deliver opening remarks at 8:00 a.m. EST. Summit Participant Interventions will begin at 8:15 a.m. and public sessions will resume at 10:15 a.m
opening speech in 5 hours

Schedule
Media Freedom and Sustainability, Co-hosted with the Netherlands
Young Democratic Leaders Discussion
Private Sector Forum: Our Business Too: Democracy & Private Enterprise Delivering Together
-PANEL 1: Responsible Investment
-PANEL 2: Beneficial Ownership
-PANEL 3: Open and Resilient Digital Space
Empowering Prosperity: Advancing the Status of Women to Advance the State of Democracy, Co-hosted with Sweden
-PANEL 1: Championing Women’s Political and Civic Participation and Leadership as the Lifeblood of Democracy
-PANEL 2: Breaking Down Barriers: Countering Gender-Based Violence in all its Forms
Panel Discussion on Democracy-Affirming Technology: How Innovation Can Be Used to Support Democratic Values
Panel Discussion: A Conversation on the Future of the Internet
Voices of Political Prisoners, Co-hosted with Lithuania
Panel Discussion – Bolstering Democratic Resilience: Building Back Better Together from COVID-19
Remarks – Preventing and Countering Corruption
Panel Discussion – Expanding Civic Space: Empowering Human Rights Defenders and Independent Media Within and Across Borders
Remarks – Strengthening Democracy and Defending Against Authoritarianism
Panel Discussion – Protecting Democratic Institutions: Elections, the Rule of Law, and a Resilient Information Space
Remarks – Technology for Democracy
Panel Discussion – Countering Digital Authoritarianism and Affirming Democratic Values
ricky_v
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by ricky_v »

https://freedomhouse.org/countries/freedom-world/scores
Freedom House rates people’s access to political rights and civil liberties in 210 countries and territories through its annual Freedom in the World report. Individual freedoms—ranging from the right to vote to freedom of expression and equality before the law—can be affected by state or nonstate actors.
It describes itself as a "clear voice for democracy and freedom around the world", although some critics have stated that the organization is biased towards U.S. interests as it is government-funded.[5] The organization was 66% funded by grants from the U.S. government in 2006, a number which has increased to 86% in 2016.[6][7][8]
Image
Image
https://freedomhouse.org/country/india/ ... world/2021
Key Developments in 2020
In February, more than 50 people, mostly Muslims, were killed amid communal and protest-related violence in Delhi that followed weeks of demonstrations against discriminatory changes to the country’s citizenship law.

Authorities filed criminal charges against journalists, students, and private citizens under colonial-era sedition laws as well as the 2000 Information Technology (IT) Act in response to speech perceived as critical of the government, notably including expressions of opposition to the new citizenship legislation and discussion of the official response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

India’s internal migrant population endured significant hardships as a result of the government’s pandemic-related lockdown, which was imposed in March and gradually eased beginning in May. Many migrant laborers were unable to access basic supplies and services in cities, forcing millions to travel hundreds of miles—often on foot—to their home villages. Harsh restrictions on movement were violently enforced by police and citizen vigilantes, with Muslims often scapegoated as potential spreaders of the virus.

In September, several BJP leaders who were credibly accused of orchestrating the demolition of a historic mosque in 1992 were acquitted by a special court. Modi the previous month had signaled his support for the construction of a Hindu temple on the contested site.
India’s large internal migrant population suffered significant hardships during the early stages of the 2020 pandemic. The government imposed an excessively harsh lockdown in March that offered little assistance or security to low-paid workers, millions of whom were consequently compelled to travel from cities to their native villages for lack of employment and essential supplies; many were unable to access basic services, including transportation, and were forced to walk hundreds of miles. Also during the lockdown, which was gradually eased beginning in May, reports emerged of violent enforcement by police and civilian vigilantes, with Muslims often singled out for abuse.

Score Change: The score declined from 3 to 2 due to an excessively harsh pandemic-related lockdown that triggered the displacement of millions of low-paid migrant workers under dangerous conditions, and featured violent and discriminatory enforcement by police and civilian vigilantes.
Torture, abuse, and rape by law enforcement and security officials have been reported. A bill intended to prevent torture remains pending. Abuses by prison staff against prisoners, particularly those belonging to marginalized groups, are common. Figures reported by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) suggest that 1,723 deaths occurred in judicial or police custody from January to December 2019.

Security forces battling regional insurgencies continue to be implicated in extrajudicial killings, rape, torture, kidnappings, and destruction of homes. While the criminal procedure code requires that the government approve the prosecution of security force members, approval is rarely granted, leading to impunity.
The judiciary is formally independent of the political branches of government. Judges, particularly at the Supreme Court level, have displayed autonomy and activism in response to public-interest litigation. However, lower levels of the judiciary suffer from corruption, and the courts have shown signs of increasing politicization. Several key Supreme Court rulings in recent years have been favorable to the BJP, including the 2019 decision allowing the construction of a Hindu temple on the site of a historic mosque, and the court’s March 2020 decision to deny bail to a scholar and prominent critic of Modi who was charged with supporting a banned Maoist group.

Also in 2020, the president appointed a recently retired chief justice to the upper house of Parliament, a rare move that critics viewed as a threat to the constitutional separation of powers. Earlier in the year, a judge was transferred in February to a less desirable position after he issued rulings that criticized Delhi police for their failure to address communal violence and related hate speech by BJP politicians.

Score Change: The score declined from 3 to 2 because the unusual appointment of a recently retired chief justice to the upper house of Parliament, a pattern of more progovernment decisions by the Supreme Court, and the high-profile transfer of a judge after he ruled against the government’s political interests all suggested a closer alignment between the judicial leadership and the ruling party.
A wide variety of NGOs operate, but some, particularly those involved in the investigation of human rights abuses, continue to face threats, legal harassment, excessive police force, and occasionally lethal violence. Under certain circumstances, the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act (FCRA) permits the federal government to deny NGOs access to foreign funding, and authorities have been accused of exploiting this power to target perceived political opponents. Since 2015, the government has deregistered nearly 15,000 associations under the FCRA. Amendments to the FRCA that were passed in 2020, without consulting civil society groups, tightened restrictions on foreign funding.

In September 2020, Amnesty International shuttered its operations in India after authorities froze its bank accounts for alleged foreign funding violations. The organization is thought to have been punished in reprisal for a series of reports that criticized the government’s actions in Kashmir and the Delhi police’s complicity in the February 2020 communal violence, in which Muslims were the main victims. An Amnesty International report released in June also detailed an apparent coordinated spyware campaign targeting a number of human rights activists.

Score Change: The score declined from 3 to 2 because the government enacted legislation to tighten restrictions on foreign funding for NGOs and separately froze the assets of Amnesty International, forcing it to shutter its operations in the country.

Academic freedom has significantly weakened in recent years, as intimidation of professors, students, and institutions over political and religious issues has increased. Members of the student wing of the Hindu nationalist organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)—from which the ruling BJP is widely regarded to have grown—have engaged in violence on campuses across the country, including attacks on students and professors. Academics face pressure not to discuss topics deemed sensitive by the BJP government, particularly India’s relations with Pakistan and conditions in Indian Kashmir.
In 2020, dozens of journalists whose reporting was critical of the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic were arrested, and media outlets faced pressure to praise the government’s response. In a March video conference with the heads of India’s largest newspapers, Prime Minister Modi called on media to help prevent the spread of “pessimism, negativity, and rumor mongering,” which many perceived to be a warning not to criticize officials’ management of the pandemic.

Journalists risk harassment, death threats, and physical violence in the course of their work. Such attacks are rarely punished, and some have taken place with the complicity or active participation of police. Two deadly attacks on journalists were reported in 2020, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). No journalists were killed in connection with their work in 2019, but five were murdered in 2018, and four in 2017.
Cyrano
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Cyrano »

Who gives a flying f*** ?
Haresh
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Haresh »

ricky_v wrote:Authorities filed criminal charges against journalists, students, and private citizens under colonial-era sedition laws
I always find the words "colonial-era" amusing.
Don't these same people like to tell us and each other how things were so much better in the "colonial-era" and how they were so benevolent and it was all done for our own good.
chetak
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by chetak »

This is trolling on an epic level

India would be happy to share its expertise in holding free and fair elections: PM Modi at Summit of Democracy

https://newsable.asianetnews.com/top-st ... dnm-r3wimm

India happy to share its expertise in holding free, fair elections: PM Modi at Joe Biden-hosted summit


Author Team Newsable
New Delhi,
Dec 10, 2021,

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday addressing the ‘Summit for Democracy’ videoconferencing, called for united efforts to shape global norms for emerging technologies like social media and cryptocurrencies so that they are used to “empower democracy, not to undermine it”. He said the story of India serves as a clear message to the world that the power of democracy can, has and will always deliver.

“The Indian story has one clear message to the world that democracy can deliver, has delivered and will continue to deliver,” said PM Modi during the Summit.

Sharing his vision of democracy, the Prime Minister added, “Democracy is just not about of, by or for the people but also with the people and within the people.”

Modi said India would be happy to share its expertise in holding free and fair elections.

He also said that “democracy is not only of the people, by the people, for the people but also with the people, within the people.” The prime minister said the structural features such as multi-party elections, independent judiciary and free media are important instruments of democracy.

“However, the basic strength of democracy is the spirit and ethos that lie within our citizens and our societies,” he added.

Appreciating the initiative that would furthering cooperation among democracies, PM Modi said India would be happy to share its expertise in holding free and fair elections, and in enhancing transparency in all areas of governance through innovative digital solutions.

“We must also jointly shape global norms for emerging technologies like social media and crypto-currencies, so that they are used to empower democracy, not to undermine it,” he added.

During his speech, the Prime Minister invoked historical civilisational ethos of India and said that the democratic spirit is integral to our civilization ethos. “Elected republican city-states such as Lichhavi and Shakya flourished in India as far as 2500 years back. The same democratic spirit is seen in the 10th Century "Uttaramerur" inscription that codified the principles of democratic participation.”

Talking about the British regime in India, he said that the centuries of colonial rule could not suppress the democratic spirit of the Indian people.

“It again found full expression with India's independence, and led to an unparalleled story in democratic nation-building over the last 75 years,” he said.

He also expressed that India stands ready to join fellow democracies to meet the aspirations of our citizens and celebrate the democratic spirit of humanity.

On the opening day of the event on Thursday, US President Joe Biden had invoked India’s Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi and South African Nelson Mandela.

Biden had also said that Congressman John Lewis was a great champion of democracy and civil rights around the world and took inspiration from other great leaders - Gandhi and Mandela.

“Democracies are not all the same. We don't agree on everything. But the choices that we are going to make today together are going to define, in my way, the course of our shared future for generations to come,” he added.

The US had invited 110 countries to attend this event. However, it had not extended invitation to countries like Russia, China, Saudi Arabia among a dozen nations.
vimal
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by vimal »

^^ "The US had invited 110 countries to attend this event. However, it had not extended invitation to countries like Russia, China, Saudi Arabia among a dozen nations."

Russia has elections. The other two are tin-pot dictatorships why would anyone invite them for democracy.
US is a total joke at this moment. With a P and VP with historic low approval ratings and P completely absent from the scene (poor guy). They actively block SM accounts critical of their government while encouraging revolutions in far off lands.
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by ShyamSP »

vimal wrote:^^ "The US had invited 110 countries to attend this event. However, it had not extended invitation to countries like Russia, China, Saudi Arabia among a dozen nations."

Russia has elections. The other two are tin-pot dictatorships why would anyone invite them for democracy.
US is a total joke at this moment. With a P and VP with historic low approval ratings and P completely absent from the scene (poor guy). They actively block SM accounts critical of their government while encouraging revolutions in far off lands.
US is also pushing for international propaganda wings along Democracy Summit to dress-up and put lipstick to pig. Big bonus bonanza for usual anti-Hindu/Indian and PIL-filing wackos in India.

Biden to put US taxpayer money toward international fund for media outlets
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden- ... fund-media
...
Biden went on to state that his administration is "committing critical seed money to launch a new multilateral effort, our International Fund for Public Interest Media, to sustain independent media around the world."

The International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM) is a new initiative from Luminate Group, which itself is part of the Omidyar Group, a philanthropic firm founded by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and his wife Pam Omidyar. Luminate is currently backing Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen.

According to a fact sheet released by the White House, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) would be providing up to $30 million to the fund, which it describes as "designed to enhance the independence, development, and sustainability of independent media, especially in resource-poor and fragile settings."
...
Rudradev
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Rudradev »

Many harami links below. Don't read unless you want to increase your BP. But here are the inevitable farticles that came out ahead of the Dumbocracy Summit:

https://www.theatlantic.com/internation ... cy/620924/
The World’s Largest Democracy Is Failing

What the attacks against the journalist Rana Ayyub reveal about the state of India’s democracy
We learn new things every day.

1) Rana Ayyub is a 'journalist'.
2) There have been 'attacks' against Rana Ayyub-- presumably including some that go beyond the national pastime of trolling her on social media.
3) Irrespective of the lakhs of journalists who work and live in India, an attack on Rana Ayyub == an attack on 'journalism'.
4) Irrespective of the crores of citizens who live and vote in India, the 'attacks on journalist Rana Ayyub' reveal that India's 'democracy is failing'.

This is the most blatantly obvious hit piece against India, but there are others that take a swipe at India among other countries.

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/ ... dea-523718 achieves the absolutely fascinating twin goal of saying that a Summit of Democracies is bad (because it makes countries like China feel bad for being excluded), but if they are going to have it anyway, then America should use the Summit of Democracies to attack the enemies of China (like India) for being insufficiently democratic.

These people don't even bother to wipe away the soya sauce from their lifafas.

Fun fact, did you know the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (assistance meaning bags of money from the Clinton Foundation no doubt) has "recently ranked India as the worst among all backsliding democracies"? https://www.idea.int/gsod/sites/default ... 2021_0.pdf :rotfl:
Vayutuvan
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Vayutuvan »

As a followup to the article posted by @ricky_v ji, there is a lot of dirt on these Freedomhouse NGO outfit at Wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_House#Criticism
On December 7, 2004, former U.S. House Representative and Libertarian politician Ron Paul criticized Freedom House for allegedly administering a U.S.-funded program in Ukraine where "much of that money was targeted to assist one particular candidate." Paul said "one part that we do know thus far is that the U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), granted millions of dollars to the Poland-America-Ukraine Cooperation Initiative (PAUCI), which is administered by the U.S.-based Freedom House. PAUCI then sent U.S. Government funds to numerous Ukrainian non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This would be bad enough and would in itself constitute meddling in the internal affairs of a sovereign nation. But, what is worse is that many of these grantee organizations in Ukraine are blatantly in favor of presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko.[61]
More about the founder https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Gastil and his Pakistani connection:
Biography[edit]
Gastil received his BA (social relations, 1953), MA (Middle Eastern Studies, 1956) and PhD (Social Science, 1959) from Harvard University.[3] He was a Fulbright Scholar in Pakistan (1953-4),[4] and taught anthropology and social science at the University of Oregon.[5] He spent seven years as a researcher at the Hudson Institute, analysing national security and other policy issues,[5] and contributed to the Institute's 1968 book, Can We Win in Vietnam?.[4] In the early 1970s he worked at the Battelle Memorial Institute.[6][7] From 1977 to 1988 he was Director of Freedom House's annual survey.[5][8]
Was this guy an NPA?
Sonugn
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Sonugn »

Praise be to the Gods

Upcoming US viceroy to India has spoken:-

--
Upcoming US Ambassador to India, LA Mayor Garcetti says, 'Groups that are actively fighting for human rights of people on the ground in India will get direct engagement from him'. Garcetti adds that speaking against discrimination will be a Core piece of his engagement with India
--

Thank the Gods that we have been blessed with the visitation/viceroyship of a blessed individual from MassaLand.

**

It could be argued that such statements are for his/her/they/lordship peanut gallery but GOI should draw a line.
Last edited by Sonugn on 15 Dec 2021 20:59, edited 1 time in total.
Ambar
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

Post by Ambar »

Quite rich coming from an administration which recently “downgraded” Taiwan’s representation at the December 10 "summit for democracy" and then cut a video feed of Taiwanese Minister Audrey Tang after her livestreamed remarks showed a map that suggested Taiwan was not part of China ! These guys wouldn't dare pull similar shenanigans with China or KSA or other dictatorial/monarchy governments, but always have plenty to say and do when it comes to India.
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