It was a love letter to India from America. In what could only be described as a display of President Donald Trump's high regard for India—and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who came in for personal mention, being referred to as a champion once—the US leader set out to woo Indians in India and beyond. The true strength of India, Trump said, to rousing applause from the crowd, lies in the beating heart of its people. "We love you India,'' he finished to thunderous applause.
But the romance and the wooing apart, Trump's speech—a well-crafted pitch for strengthening the Indo-US relationship—also contained his vision for South Asia, which might be at odds with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a veiled reference to China, Trump chose to heap praise for India's achievements in eradicating poverty as a democratic and tolerant country. The promise that India and US will do a great trade deal is also aimed straight at China.
“The potential for India is incredible,'' Trump said. Trump listed out India's achievements—where 12 Indians are lifted out of poverty every single minute every day, electricity in every village and 70 million households have access to cooking fuel. Trump said—taking a pot shot at his bête noire China—India's achievements were more “inspiring'' because “you have done it as a democratic country'' and a “peaceful” and “tolerant'” country. "There is a difference between a nation that rises by coercion and one that rises by setting people free—that is India,” Trump said.
However, there was also a hidden message in the speech for India. While Trump talked about India and the US being partners and fighting “radical Islamic terrorism'', he made it clear that he had good relations with Pakistan.
“We are working in a positive way with Pakistan to crack down on terror organisations and militants that operate on the Pakistani border,” Trump said. He may not have mentioned Kashmir, but Trump, however, made it clear that he hoped that there would be “reduced tensions, greater stability'' and the future of harmony of all the nations of South Asia. Not beating about the bush, Trump made it clear that India had a leading role in promoting peace in the region. In short, Trump hinted that there will be a US nudge for India to perhaps reduce tension with Pakistan.
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Trump will not be the first US president to do so. The question is whether Modi will be like every other Indian prime minister and listen to this advice—unsolicited, maybe, with an open mind. This comment comes in the wake of the expected deal that the US has with the Taliban—which is expected to be signed on February 29. It also suggests that while Pakistan may not be on Trump's visit list, he is banking on Islamabad to help make the US pullout from Afghanistan easier.
What is also interesting is that the vision for peace in the neighbourhood differed between Trump and Prime Minister Modi. Modi, in his speech, chose to focus on India's biggest threat with China and the role India and the US can play in the Indo-Pacific in keeping the 'P word' alive. There was no mention of the closer neighbourhood. Whether this was the only fly in the ointment, in the otherwise romance fest, remains to be seen.
