Two senior leaders of the Congress seemed to differ in their assessment of Narendra Modi’s ongoing visit to the US, where the prime minister is supposed to meet with President Donald Trump and maybe also the most important man in the new administration in Washington, Elon Musk.
While Jairam Ramesh took a sarcastic jab at the meeting with a post on X, Shashi Tharoor struck more of a diplomatic note.
"It is a very significant matter that our prime minister is among the first world leaders to receive an appointment from President Trump. That is a good sign,” Tharoor, the Congress member of the Lok Sabha from Thiruvananthapuram, told PTI Videos on Thursday morning.
“He is the fourth head of government to arrive in Washington, and the Trump administration is not even one month old, which is a very significant thing,” Tharoor said.
“What they are discussing, we don’t know we are all waiting for a readout, but I think all of us in India know that some issues are important for us. There are trade issues with Mr Trump talking about tariffs, there are issues to do with H-1B visas for legal Indian immigration, there is an issue with the manner in which illegal immigrants were sent back and they were treated in very inhumane ways – that’ll also have to be addressed. There are issues to with some of the global geopolitical issues. There may be some conversation – who knows – on Ukraine. Prime Minister Modi has been to both Ukraine and Russia. President Trump took an initiative today with both countries.”
He added: “But we should take some significance out of the fact that this is happening so early in the Trump administration and that as far as India is concerned our issues should therefore be front and centre in President Trump’s awareness early in his term.”
In contrast, Tharoor’s party colleague Ramesh was biting in his sarcasm.
“The PM will be first hugging and then meeting with his 'good friend' President Trump at 2:30AM IST on the morning of Feb 14th,” Ramesh wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
“India has already appeased the US President by slashing import duties on some farm produce and on Mr. Trump's favorite Harley-Davidson motorcycles. A commitment has also been made to amend the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages Act, 2010 - which American companies have been demanding. No doubts pacts will be signed and contracts for defence acquisitions firmed up. Even so, we have five questions for the PM,” he wrote.
The five questions are:
“1. Will Mr. Modi summon up the courage to convey to the US President, India's collective outrage at the inhuman manner in which Indian citizens were deported back a few days ago?
“2. Will Mr. Modi convey to the US President that India would send its own aircraft--like Venezuela and Colombia did--to bring back Indian deportees in the future?
“3. Will Mr. Modi reiterate India's long-standing position on Palestine and express her strong opposition to the bizarre proposal floated by the US President for Gaza?
“4. Will Mr. Modi tell President Trump that the US's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the WHO is an abdication of America's leadership position as well as its responsibility?
“5.Will Mr. Modi tell President Trump clearly that the racist attacks on H1B visa holders, over 70% of whom are Indian youth, are simply unacceptable? H1B visas have benefited both countries and we hope it can continue,” Ramesh wrote.
He also had posers for Musk.
“Undoubtedly Mr. Modi will also meet Mr. Elon Musk. In this regard we have two questions,” Ramesh wrote.
“1. Will Mr. Modi clearly state to Mr. Musk that Tesla must manufacture, and not just assemble, in India if it sees India as a market for its electric vehicles?
“2. Will Mr. Modi reiterate the policy of auctioning (not administratively allocating) spectrum, which he championed after becoming PM in May 2014? Will he also emphasise that security considerations are simply non-negotiable when it comes to satellite internet providers like Starlink?”
