- Poland got approved to buy 360 Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile-Extended Range (AARGM-ER)
- Ukraine Ukrainian mechanics have mastered the repair of US M777 howitzers.
- TECHINT Germany arrests 3 suspected China spies
- Mil Intelligence Military court convicts US sailor of attempted espionage
- UK Is there any British officer or British military personnel here that I can discuss with?
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Yup I was thinking same thing...I had to hold back for a bit while cpl things got organised, but now I think it's more or less ready for first cpl waves of membership.
Lot more ppl will be arriving soon @Cabatli_53 et al.
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trolls cannot live on our forum. Here you will see qualified people.
SHOX
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MOD NOTE: All foreign relations news+analysis (w.r.t India) outside direct neighbours and outside the P5 go here.
The intergovernmental negotiations on Security Council reform are being "held hostage" and used as a "convenient smokescreen" by countries that do not wish to see any changes in the most powerful UN organ, India has said, demanding tangible action to achieve the long-delayed reforms.
India also underlined that it will take steps to see how the goal can be realised in the next session of the UN General Assembly.
India's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador K Nagaraj Naidu, on Monday wrote a letter to President of the 74th Session of the General Assembly, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, expressing New Delhi's strong disappointment over the decision regarding roll-over of the intergovernmental negotiations (IGN) on UNSC reforms into the next session of the General Assembly that begins this month.
India has maintained that the roll-over decision must "capture clearly" the tangible progress made in the two IGN meetings held earlier this year.
India underscored that one of the areas in which clear progress was made during the year was the increasing support among member states for the Common African Position as well as for the urgent need for transparency and application of the General Assembly's rules of procedure to the IGN.
Naidu expressed India's disappointment that the current draft roll-over text "has fallen well short of capturing the progress" in the two IGN meetings held this year, particularly in the areas of the growing support for the Common African Position and other important issues.
"However, strangely enough, instead of reflecting the views of 'pro-Reformists' like India and others, by putting a draft roll-over decision in this fashion, it is actually providing the 'pro-Reformists' with a Hobson's choice. This is indeed unfortunate," he said.
India also strongly criticised that there has been practically no progress in IGN discussions on reform of the most powerful UN organ over the last decade.
Naidu said not only are the discussions dubbed as informal, no attempt has been made to capture the discussions, ongoing since 2009, in a single consolidated text for negotiations.
"In effect, after more than a decade, there has been no tangible progress at all. In fact, the IGN process has become a convenient smokescreen to hide behind for those who do not wish to see any reform in the Security Council," Naidu wrote.
"Consequently, there is a need to ensure that the IGN process is not held hostage, procedurally and substantially, by those who do not wish to bring about reform in the Security Council. If this happens, and there are indications that this is already happening, those who demand reform will be forced to look for other ways to achieve the same end outside the IGN process," he said in the letter.
Naidu underscored India's "abiding commitment" to reformed multilateralism, saying that to strengthen this in the UN, India will "continue to voice its strong support for tangible action towards an expanded and reformed Security Council that reflects today's world and realities".
"We will also take steps to see how we can realise these goals in the 75th session of the UNGA," he said.
Muhammad-Bande had placed under silence procedure until the evening of August 31 the draft decision entitled 'Question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and other matters related to the Security Council', regarding the roll-over of the Intergovernmental Negotiations into the 75th Session of the General Assembly that begins this month.
The silence procedure concluded without objections, implying the adoption of the draft roll-over decision. Naidu said in the letter that while India was not breaking the silence, its letter should be circulated to all UN member states as "official explanation" of position of India on the draft roll-over decision.
Naidu also wrote separately to Muhammad-Bande on behalf of the G4 group -- Brazil, Germany, Japan and India -- on the roll-over decision, raising similar concerns.
India will join the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member for a two-year term beginning January 1, 2021.
India has been at the forefront of the years-long efforts to reform the Security Council saying it rightly deserves a place as a permanent member of the Council, which in its current form does not represent the geo-political realities of the 21st century.
Naidu also highlighted that the Non-Aligned Movement comprising 120 member states expressed support at the "highest level" for the Common African Position. Other key groupings such as the G4, L.69 and the African Group have also expressed support for greater representation of Africa in a reformed and expanded Security Council.
Naidu said India is "fully and unequivocally in support of greater African representation in the UN Security Council and will continue to be vocal in our support for Africa."
.
The intergovernmental negotiations on Security Council reform are being "held hostage" and used as a "convenient smokescreen" by countries that do not wish to see any changes in the most powerful UN organ, India has said, demanding tangible action to achieve the long-delayed reforms.
India also underlined that it will take steps to see how the goal can be realised in the next session of the UN General Assembly.
India's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador K Nagaraj Naidu, on Monday wrote a letter to President of the 74th Session of the General Assembly, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, expressing New Delhi's strong disappointment over the decision regarding roll-over of the intergovernmental negotiations (IGN) on UNSC reforms into the next session of the General Assembly that begins this month.
India has maintained that the roll-over decision must "capture clearly" the tangible progress made in the two IGN meetings held earlier this year.
India underscored that one of the areas in which clear progress was made during the year was the increasing support among member states for the Common African Position as well as for the urgent need for transparency and application of the General Assembly's rules of procedure to the IGN.
Naidu expressed India's disappointment that the current draft roll-over text "has fallen well short of capturing the progress" in the two IGN meetings held this year, particularly in the areas of the growing support for the Common African Position and other important issues.
"However, strangely enough, instead of reflecting the views of 'pro-Reformists' like India and others, by putting a draft roll-over decision in this fashion, it is actually providing the 'pro-Reformists' with a Hobson's choice. This is indeed unfortunate," he said.
India also strongly criticised that there has been practically no progress in IGN discussions on reform of the most powerful UN organ over the last decade.
Naidu said not only are the discussions dubbed as informal, no attempt has been made to capture the discussions, ongoing since 2009, in a single consolidated text for negotiations.
"In effect, after more than a decade, there has been no tangible progress at all. In fact, the IGN process has become a convenient smokescreen to hide behind for those who do not wish to see any reform in the Security Council," Naidu wrote.
"Consequently, there is a need to ensure that the IGN process is not held hostage, procedurally and substantially, by those who do not wish to bring about reform in the Security Council. If this happens, and there are indications that this is already happening, those who demand reform will be forced to look for other ways to achieve the same end outside the IGN process," he said in the letter.
Naidu underscored India's "abiding commitment" to reformed multilateralism, saying that to strengthen this in the UN, India will "continue to voice its strong support for tangible action towards an expanded and reformed Security Council that reflects today's world and realities".
"We will also take steps to see how we can realise these goals in the 75th session of the UNGA," he said.
Muhammad-Bande had placed under silence procedure until the evening of August 31 the draft decision entitled 'Question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and other matters related to the Security Council', regarding the roll-over of the Intergovernmental Negotiations into the 75th Session of the General Assembly that begins this month.
The silence procedure concluded without objections, implying the adoption of the draft roll-over decision. Naidu said in the letter that while India was not breaking the silence, its letter should be circulated to all UN member states as "official explanation" of position of India on the draft roll-over decision.
Naidu also wrote separately to Muhammad-Bande on behalf of the G4 group -- Brazil, Germany, Japan and India -- on the roll-over decision, raising similar concerns.
India will join the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member for a two-year term beginning January 1, 2021.
India has been at the forefront of the years-long efforts to reform the Security Council saying it rightly deserves a place as a permanent member of the Council, which in its current form does not represent the geo-political realities of the 21st century.
Naidu also highlighted that the Non-Aligned Movement comprising 120 member states expressed support at the "highest level" for the Common African Position. Other key groupings such as the G4, L.69 and the African Group have also expressed support for greater representation of Africa in a reformed and expanded Security Council.
Naidu said India is "fully and unequivocally in support of greater African representation in the UN Security Council and will continue to be vocal in our support for Africa."
.
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Paro
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September 25, 2020, 2:30 AM GMT+5:30
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg
India’s latest parliament session ended in 10 days but it was one of the most productive in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s six year stint, as his administration managed to push through a stalled reform agenda to try and reverse the worst economic downturn in decades.
The legislative reforms, including overhauling labor laws to farm regulation and finance, were pushed through by a voice vote with very little discussion or debate. Angry opposition lawmakers protested vociferously and eight were even suspended for “unruly behavior” amid angry scenes in both houses.
As the pandemic gripped the world’s fifth largest economy, India has been announcing reform measures since May -- opening up its space facilities, defense manufacturing, mineral blocks and power distribution to private companies -- to kick start activity and retain investor interest. The economy’s 23.9% contraction last quarter was the worst on record and the most of all the major economies tracked by Bloomberg.
Members in the lower house of parliament worked overtime, 145% of the alloted time, while upper house functioned 99%, according to PRS Legislative Research, a New Delhi-based think-tank. About 25 bills were passed by parliament in the session that ended this week.
But the recent steps -- involving changes to how India’s powerful farmers bloc sells its produce and the the hiring and firing practices of companies -- carry some political risk for Modi in the long-term. The farm laws have alienated a longstanding ally.
Why Modi’s Laws to Liberalize Farming Worry Farmers: QuickTake
However, the acrimony won’t impact the government as Modi’s popularity remains high. Here are the legislative reforms enacted:
Labor
The labor reforms attempt to scrap archaic laws and untangle complex federal and local regulations that used to prompt companies to either remain small or use capital-intensive methods of production. It includes three bills.
The new legislation will completely change how farm produce is cultivated and sold and impacts about 800 million of India’s 1.3 billion people who depend on agriculture directly or indirectly for their livelihood. For decades, farmers sold their output mostly through state-run wholesale markets. Now companies can buy directly from farmers outside the state-run markets that charge fees.
www.bloomberg.com
.
@Nilgiri @Zapper @Joe Shearer
- About 25 bills were passed in the session that ended this week
- Labor and farm bills involve political risk for ruling party
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg
India’s latest parliament session ended in 10 days but it was one of the most productive in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s six year stint, as his administration managed to push through a stalled reform agenda to try and reverse the worst economic downturn in decades.
The legislative reforms, including overhauling labor laws to farm regulation and finance, were pushed through by a voice vote with very little discussion or debate. Angry opposition lawmakers protested vociferously and eight were even suspended for “unruly behavior” amid angry scenes in both houses.
As the pandemic gripped the world’s fifth largest economy, India has been announcing reform measures since May -- opening up its space facilities, defense manufacturing, mineral blocks and power distribution to private companies -- to kick start activity and retain investor interest. The economy’s 23.9% contraction last quarter was the worst on record and the most of all the major economies tracked by Bloomberg.
Members in the lower house of parliament worked overtime, 145% of the alloted time, while upper house functioned 99%, according to PRS Legislative Research, a New Delhi-based think-tank. About 25 bills were passed by parliament in the session that ended this week.
But the recent steps -- involving changes to how India’s powerful farmers bloc sells its produce and the the hiring and firing practices of companies -- carry some political risk for Modi in the long-term. The farm laws have alienated a longstanding ally.
Why Modi’s Laws to Liberalize Farming Worry Farmers: QuickTake
However, the acrimony won’t impact the government as Modi’s popularity remains high. Here are the legislative reforms enacted:
Labor
The labor reforms attempt to scrap archaic laws and untangle complex federal and local regulations that used to prompt companies to either remain small or use capital-intensive methods of production. It includes three bills.
- The Industrial Relations Code will allow companies with as many as 300 workers to fire them or shut plants without seeking prior government approval, a three-fold jump from the current threshold. The code also restricts worker from going on a strike without a stipulated notice period and discourages multiple employee unions in a single business establishment. It allows for fixed term employment provided such employees get the same benefits as permanent workers.
- The Code on Social Security provides social security for both organized and informal workers. It empowers the federal government to formulate welfare measures such as retirement and pension funds and gratuity and maternity benefits.
- The Occupational Safety, Health And Working Conditions Code creates new laws regulating the safety, health and working conditions of workers in factories and other workplaces. It has provisions for registration and licensing for factories, working hours, paid leave and working conditions.
The new legislation will completely change how farm produce is cultivated and sold and impacts about 800 million of India’s 1.3 billion people who depend on agriculture directly or indirectly for their livelihood. For decades, farmers sold their output mostly through state-run wholesale markets. Now companies can buy directly from farmers outside the state-run markets that charge fees.
- The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill will give farmers freedom to sell their produce anywhere in the country, such as farm gates, factory premises, warehouses and cold storages. Currently, the produce is sold at a designated regional market where levies are collected by provincial governments and middlemen who facilitate trades. The bill prohibits states from levying any market fee. It also provides for sales on electronic trading platforms. Farmers fear the new law may end state-sponsored guaranteed price for some crops while states are protesting loss of revenues.
- The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill creates a framework for contract farming. Farmers can sign sale contracts with processors, wholesalers, retailers and exporters at mutually agreed prices.
- The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill empowers the federal government to control the production, supply, distribution, storage, and trade of certain essential commodities. It allows the government to regulate the stock of an essential commodity that a producer can hold.
- The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Second Amendment) Bill temporarily suspends the initiation of corporate insolvency resolution proceedings under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code for a specified period of six months to a year in order to protect coronavirus hit companies from being pushed into insolvency.
- The Taxation and Other Laws Amendment Bill relaxes tax compliance norms by extending the time limit and waiving penalties for several tax laws as a virus relief measure.
- The Companies (Amendment) Bill aims to make life easier for businesses by removing certain penalties, including imprisonment, for some offenses and reduces the amount of fine payable for others.
Modi Has Prolific 10 Days as Opposition Shuns India’s Parliament
India’s latest parliament session ended in 10 days but it was one of the most productive in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s six year stint, as his administration managed to push through a stalled reform agenda to try and reverse the worst economic downturn in decades.
www.bloomberg.com
@Nilgiri @Zapper @Joe Shearer
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I don't quite understand why liberalization of this part would be an issue. I remember seeing a documentary about cotton fields, finances and problems some time a go (few years) and I recall thinking that it can't be healthy for a country's population to go all in on such investments...
Am I correct in assuming that cotton would similarly be traded through a state financed hub where farmers were guarenteed a certain price for their products ?
If so I think it's good to finally get away from that hub because ppl should use their head and prioritize edible crops in crop cycle setup rather than spend time on stuff like cotton.
I think it's a necessary step, to have few big farmers than so many small, but population wise... I think smaller farms would be better for the population local markets, trade in towns and such.
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These reforms are long overdue...but like any reforms they are being politicized (rather than analysed/debated if you are opposition) because why not score some attempted political points and drama by stirring up narratives and whatever ruckus needed.
==========AGRO=======
For the agro reforms, farmers literally have been held hostage by Mandi goons for so long and now they can sell directly to buyers that can invest in their own storage for it. This increases competition to give these farmers the best price, it increases their access to consumers and cuts out middlemen (and the mandis will still exist and the MSP will still exist....quite opposite to what is being blabbed by some to fearmonger).
Ashok Gulati is someone very good to follow on this stuff and probably the foremost expert on the issue by the breadth and depth and length he has followed and written up on this subject and nagged at the govts this long.
He criticized Modi Govt severely (as same snake oil in new package w.r.t farming) in the 1st term I remember many times (and I agreed with him fully on it because he explained it all quite well in quite a lot of detail)
....but he is consistent chap and he has given them near full marks for these moves (with quite a lot of gusto and excitement may I add, I feel happy for him given his struggle this long) with connecting farmers to markets and more market pricing and competition rather than having a monopoly system of buying for so many of them (and the mandi goons and middlemen make most of the profit especially given perishable nature of agro products). He reserves rest of the marks for implementation and follow up....just google/youtube his name and read/watch if anyone is more interested.
Farming after all is another activity of economy that must be treated as such, why should the govt over-interfere and assign these mandi chokepoints (and all the corruption and blackmarketing and goonery that will inevitably arise) that too keep that in this day and age. Please stand back and let more people network together organically and let them sort out things so both can profit with fewer middlemen (and inefficiencies), more money in pockets and more to invest and improve.
I would rather this money saving goes to the consumer and extra profit goes to the farmer so they can grow and invest in improving more....rather than mandi goons and the state taxes on these mandis (which is why most protests you see are in the surplus agro states like Punjab as govt actively has stake in its revenue on the status quo and thus can agitate on it more readily with farmers who are used to things the existing way and are leery to change etc).
============LABOUR + FINANCE============
Labour reforms is basically streamlining so it will be lot easier for courts to handle cases regarding that, this makes things simpler for businesses and investors too as they dont need to worry about which checkmarks and liabilities flexible/contract workers will fit under (given all the different layers of codes stacked up on this over time). Big part of course has to be seen in the implementation side and watching that over time.
IBC relief (and other reliefs) is part of corona recovery package, thats fine but needs to be watched given underlying problems before it in corporate India and banking.
Labour and finance relief stuff we will have to both watch and see implementation side and follow up side a lot more (especially how it handles the informal sector side of welfare through aadhar etc and how employment and business patterns change with more flexibility afforded up to 300 workers size which should make lot more seasonal manufacturing competitive in India at SME level). That will take time to judge.
Paro
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Tell me if i dont make sense.. bjp is trying to curtail power from the states, especially the one’s they have no presence. Recently they centralized power buying policy where the center decides the minimum price the states can buy, then GST whos dues have not been payed to the states yet. Then recently there are plans to centralize water boards which are in the states control. By this bjp will move resources from the south to the hindi belt where they have a vote bank. I might be overthinking but i see a pattern since its been a while bjp actually won a state election.
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You are making a lot of sense. The final goal is the centralisation of everything within the PMO. Any student of international constitutional history will be able to trace the family similarity between the concentration of power being attempted here, in India, today, and the process that has been observed in, say, the evolution of the British royal administration. There are as many nuances to this as the number of shades of irridescence on fish scales.
Paro
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If this is in fact the ground reality then the outcome isn't bright(my opinion). The states would run out of budgets and credit crunches so to show results for their own survival they would turn to the urban population abandoning the rural (Rural pop needs a lot of budget to satisfy their woes, Urban - keep the cities clean, 2-3 flyovers, a metro project, 24/7 electricity everyone happy).
@Joe Shearer - In Telangana agriculture just started booming and in the middle of COVID its the only occupation which is safe. but with these bills the future isnt bright for the state. At least that's what everyone around seem to believe in.
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India invites Israeli firms to cooperate in meeting $130 billion weapons need
By Ajai Shukla
Business Standard, 25th Sep 20
India and Israel have been traditionally secretive about defence and security cooperation between their respective governments and industry. On Thursday, however, senior ministry of defence (MoD) officials revealed that, of the $4.9 billion in annual trade between the two countries (2019-20), defence purchases from Israel account for over a billion dollars each year.
Sanjay Jaju, the MoD’s interface with the defence industry, also disclosed that India and Israel are collaborating on research and development (R&D) in nine focus areas, including big data analytics and cyber security.
He was speaking at a webinar on India-Israel defence cooperation, co-organised by the MoD, SIBAT (the International Cooperation Directorate of Israel’s MoD) and by the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM).
Israeli companies have brought $200 million worth of foreign direct investment (FDI) into defence production in India since April 2000, revealed Jaju. The total FDI in defence during this period has been Rs 3,454 crore, the MoD told Parliament on Monday.
The MoD said there were rich opportunities for Israel-India defence cooperation, with the former offering skill and experience in developing high-technology weaponry and the latter offering scale in demand.
Underlining the opportunities for Israel, Jaju said New Delhi would spend US $130 billion on modernising the military over the next 7-8 years. He said India’s requirements were available in the 15-year Long Term Integrated Perspective Plan (LTIPP) for the period 2012-2027.
(more at link)
@500
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India & Israel to co-develop hi-tech weapon systems | India News - Times of India
India News: India and Israel now plan to further crank up their already expansive defence partnership by going in more co-development and co-production projects o
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
NEW DELHI: India and Israel now plan to further crank up their already expansive defence partnership by going in more co-development and co-production projects of high-tech weapon systems and exporting them to other friendly countries.
A new sub-group to promote such joint projects, under the overarching joint working group on defence cooperation headed by Indian defence secretary and his Israeli counterpart, was set up on Thursday.
The main focus of the sub-working group (SWG) on defence industrial cooperation will be on transfer of technology, co-development and co-production, technology security, Artificial Intelligence, innovation and joint export to third countries.
(more at link)
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This the forum's twitter account ?
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Yeah, its official account.
DefenceHub Social Media Accounts
We use the following social media channels. While we aim to respond, if its an emergency please contact and follow us via our formal channels
defencehub.live
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Yeah, its official account.
DefenceHub Social Media Accounts
We use the following social media channels. While we aim to respond, if its an emergency please contact and follow us via our formal channels
Followed you on twitter. I don't have FB.
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Thanks for your support..
N
阅读简体中文版閱讀繁體中文版
NEW DELHI — In India, where throngs admire President Trump, one rural farmer worshiped him like a god, praying to a life-size statue of Mr. Trump in his backyard every morning.
His village’s headman said that the young farmer, Bussa Krishna, had been drawn to Mr. Trump’s “straightforward ways and blunt speech.”
When Mr. Trump announced he had tested positive for the coronavirus, it devastated Mr. Krishna. The farmer posted a tearful video on Facebook, in which he said: “I feel very sad that my god, Trump, has contracted the coronavirus. I ask everyone to pray for his speedy recovery.”
He stopped eating to show solidarity with his idol’s suffering from Covid-19, his family said. He fell into a deep depression. On Sunday, he died of cardiac arrest.
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Mr. Krishna’s devotion had made him into a minor celebrity in his country, and he was the subject of national headlines. His death made news across India.
One of his cousins, Vivek Bukka, said that Mr. Krishna had been physically fit and had no health problems or history of heart disease. There is no evidence linking Mr. Krishna’s death to his fasting.
There is no indication that the White House or Mr. Trump — who said he had recovered from the virus and felt “powerful” after being treated with a cocktail of drugs — was aware of his biggest fan in India.
Image
Mr. Krishna’s devotion to President Trump made him a minor celebrity in India.Credit...Vinod Babu/Reuters
Many of the country’s urban intellectuals dislike the American president, and he is regularly mocked on Indian social media platforms. But Mr. Trump has broad support among Indians: A February study by the Pew Research Center found that 56 percent of people surveyed in India said that Mr. Trump would “do the right thing when it comes to world affairs,” up from 16 percent when he was elected.
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Mr. Trump’s popularity in some parts of India is notable because the cult of personality he has tried to cultivate — an unapologetically brash figure leading the United States to a bright new future while espousing “America First” — mirrors how India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, projects himself to his own supporters.
Mr. Krishna, a widowed farmer in his 30s who lived in the village of Konne in the southern state of Telangana, had been a Trump devotee for about four years.
He became a fan when the president appeared to him in a dream, his relatives said, and predicted that India’s national cricket squad would beat its archrival, Pakistan, in a match the next day.
India won, “and from that day he started worshiping Donald Trump,” said Mr. Vivek, Mr. Krishna’s cousin.
“At first everyone in the family thought he was mentally disturbed, but he kept at it and everyone eventually came around,” Mr. Vivek said.
The farmer deeply admired the president as a leader, said Mr. Vivek, 25, who lives near the southern city of Hyderabad. Neighbors did not know much about American politics and had no opinion of Mr. Trump, he added. But since Mr. Krishna was such a huge fan, they embraced his cause as a courtesy, even if it struck them as a little odd.
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As Mr. Krishna’s devotion to Mr. Trump intensified, he began fasting every Friday, and he commissioned the construction of a shrine in his backyard with the life-size statue, Mr. Vivek said. He worshiped it with Hindu rituals for an hour or two each morning, as one might when praying to Krishna, Shiva, Ganesha or other gods in the Hindu pantheon.
Image
Mr. Krishna was drawn to Mr. Trump’s “straightforward ways and blunt speech,” said the headman of his village. Credit...Vinod Babu/Reuters
One video of Mr. Krishna that has circulated widely online shows him performing a prayer ritual, or pooja, before an altar that holds a picture of Mr. Trump. In another, he wears a T-shirt that reads “Trump” in white block letters as he pours water over the head of the statue, which is wearing a red tie and a garland of fresh flowers, and giving a thumbs-up.
Mr. Krishna’s obsession with Mr. Trump echoes that of people in other countries. In Afghanistan, a couple named their third child Donald Trump. The father admired the tycoon in Mr. Trump. But later, saying he no longer felt safe as a Trump supporter, he and his family fled Afghanistan. Mr. Krishna’s creation of a statue of Mr. Trump is also not unique. An architect built a giant wooden statue of Mr. Trump with vampire’s teeth in Slovenia, the native country of the first lady, Melania Trump. Some critics denounced it as a “waste of wood.”
That statue’s creator, Tomaz Schlegl, an architect, told Reuters, “I want to alert people to the rise of populism, and it would be difficult to find a bigger populist in this world than Donald Trump.”
A life-size wooden sculpture of Mrs. Trump, meanwhile, near the town of Sevnica, Slovenia, was set on fire. The commissioning artist replaced it with a bronze statue.
As for Mr. Krishna, he made a valiant attempt to meet his idol. He traveled to the United States Embassy in New Delhi ahead of Mr. Trump’s trip to India in February to try to arrange a meeting, said Vemula Venkat Goud, the headman of Mr. Krishna’s village.
“It’s really sad that his dream never came true,” he added.
Image
Mr. Krishna is survived by his parents and 7-year-old son.Credit...Vinod Babu/Reuters
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Mr. Krishna kept the faith until the end.
When he learned of Mr. Trump’s Covid-19 diagnosis, he locked himself in his room, Mr. Vivek said. “We tried to force him to eat, but he barely ate anything,” he said.
On Sunday, Mr. Krishna collapsed, and his relatives took him to the hospital. He was pronounced dead on arrival. Mr. Krishna is survived by his parents and his 7-year-old son.
The village headman said his neighbors were discussing how best to maintain their neighbor’s Trump shrine.
Shalini Venugopal Bhagat reported from New Delhi, and Mike Ives from Hong Kong. S.M. Bilal contributed reporting from Hyderabad, India.
www.nytimes.com
NEW DELHI — In India, where throngs admire President Trump, one rural farmer worshiped him like a god, praying to a life-size statue of Mr. Trump in his backyard every morning.
His village’s headman said that the young farmer, Bussa Krishna, had been drawn to Mr. Trump’s “straightforward ways and blunt speech.”
When Mr. Trump announced he had tested positive for the coronavirus, it devastated Mr. Krishna. The farmer posted a tearful video on Facebook, in which he said: “I feel very sad that my god, Trump, has contracted the coronavirus. I ask everyone to pray for his speedy recovery.”
He stopped eating to show solidarity with his idol’s suffering from Covid-19, his family said. He fell into a deep depression. On Sunday, he died of cardiac arrest.
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Mr. Krishna’s devotion had made him into a minor celebrity in his country, and he was the subject of national headlines. His death made news across India.
One of his cousins, Vivek Bukka, said that Mr. Krishna had been physically fit and had no health problems or history of heart disease. There is no evidence linking Mr. Krishna’s death to his fasting.
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There is no indication that the White House or Mr. Trump — who said he had recovered from the virus and felt “powerful” after being treated with a cocktail of drugs — was aware of his biggest fan in India.
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Mr. Krishna’s devotion to President Trump made him a minor celebrity in India.Credit...Vinod Babu/Reuters
Many of the country’s urban intellectuals dislike the American president, and he is regularly mocked on Indian social media platforms. But Mr. Trump has broad support among Indians: A February study by the Pew Research Center found that 56 percent of people surveyed in India said that Mr. Trump would “do the right thing when it comes to world affairs,” up from 16 percent when he was elected.
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Mr. Trump’s popularity in some parts of India is notable because the cult of personality he has tried to cultivate — an unapologetically brash figure leading the United States to a bright new future while espousing “America First” — mirrors how India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, projects himself to his own supporters.
Mr. Krishna, a widowed farmer in his 30s who lived in the village of Konne in the southern state of Telangana, had been a Trump devotee for about four years.
He became a fan when the president appeared to him in a dream, his relatives said, and predicted that India’s national cricket squad would beat its archrival, Pakistan, in a match the next day.
India won, “and from that day he started worshiping Donald Trump,” said Mr. Vivek, Mr. Krishna’s cousin.
“At first everyone in the family thought he was mentally disturbed, but he kept at it and everyone eventually came around,” Mr. Vivek said.
The farmer deeply admired the president as a leader, said Mr. Vivek, 25, who lives near the southern city of Hyderabad. Neighbors did not know much about American politics and had no opinion of Mr. Trump, he added. But since Mr. Krishna was such a huge fan, they embraced his cause as a courtesy, even if it struck them as a little odd.
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As Mr. Krishna’s devotion to Mr. Trump intensified, he began fasting every Friday, and he commissioned the construction of a shrine in his backyard with the life-size statue, Mr. Vivek said. He worshiped it with Hindu rituals for an hour or two each morning, as one might when praying to Krishna, Shiva, Ganesha or other gods in the Hindu pantheon.
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Mr. Krishna was drawn to Mr. Trump’s “straightforward ways and blunt speech,” said the headman of his village. Credit...Vinod Babu/Reuters
One video of Mr. Krishna that has circulated widely online shows him performing a prayer ritual, or pooja, before an altar that holds a picture of Mr. Trump. In another, he wears a T-shirt that reads “Trump” in white block letters as he pours water over the head of the statue, which is wearing a red tie and a garland of fresh flowers, and giving a thumbs-up.
Mr. Krishna’s obsession with Mr. Trump echoes that of people in other countries. In Afghanistan, a couple named their third child Donald Trump. The father admired the tycoon in Mr. Trump. But later, saying he no longer felt safe as a Trump supporter, he and his family fled Afghanistan. Mr. Krishna’s creation of a statue of Mr. Trump is also not unique. An architect built a giant wooden statue of Mr. Trump with vampire’s teeth in Slovenia, the native country of the first lady, Melania Trump. Some critics denounced it as a “waste of wood.”
That statue’s creator, Tomaz Schlegl, an architect, told Reuters, “I want to alert people to the rise of populism, and it would be difficult to find a bigger populist in this world than Donald Trump.”
A life-size wooden sculpture of Mrs. Trump, meanwhile, near the town of Sevnica, Slovenia, was set on fire. The commissioning artist replaced it with a bronze statue.
As for Mr. Krishna, he made a valiant attempt to meet his idol. He traveled to the United States Embassy in New Delhi ahead of Mr. Trump’s trip to India in February to try to arrange a meeting, said Vemula Venkat Goud, the headman of Mr. Krishna’s village.
“It’s really sad that his dream never came true,” he added.
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Mr. Krishna is survived by his parents and 7-year-old son.Credit...Vinod Babu/Reuters
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Mr. Krishna kept the faith until the end.
When he learned of Mr. Trump’s Covid-19 diagnosis, he locked himself in his room, Mr. Vivek said. “We tried to force him to eat, but he barely ate anything,” he said.
On Sunday, Mr. Krishna collapsed, and his relatives took him to the hospital. He was pronounced dead on arrival. Mr. Krishna is survived by his parents and his 7-year-old son.
The village headman said his neighbors were discussing how best to maintain their neighbor’s Trump shrine.
Shalini Venugopal Bhagat reported from New Delhi, and Mike Ives from Hong Kong. S.M. Bilal contributed reporting from Hyderabad, India.
He Built a Trump Statue and Worshiped It. Then He Collapsed. (Published 2020)
Bussa Krishna, a farmer who called President Trump his god, stopped eating after Mr. Trump became infected with the coronavirus, his family said. He died on Sunday.
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This thread is for Indian (internal) politics and society based topics etc. eg. the Bihar election results that will be announced soon.
In the meantime:
I thought this following author brought up some good points, it reminded me of the sustained bottom-up process (regarding societal reform) I was describing (regd India a bout article governing Hindu-muslim tensions iirc) at PDF that is contrary to preaching from insular bubbles and echo-chambers.
What do you think of this @Joe Shearer et. al?:
Full article given (so quoting in reply is easy) ...all credit given to author (Chetan Bhagat) and original link is provided:
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
I think it is fair to admit that the influence of Indian liberals continues to dwindle every month. Outnumbered and outshouted, the Indian liberals — a motley group of individuals who claim to represent more left-wing, inclusive and progressive values — have lost one battle after another in the last decade. Two national elections, multiple state elections, influence in the media, social media reach, following in the youth or policy impact — the liberals haven’t managed to win against the right wing. It is true that India is a power-is-everything society with the winner-takes-all outcome. Hence, if the right wing is strongly in power, it can literally control everything and enjoy a massive fanbase. However, it still doesn’t fully explain the low appeal of liberals in a country as diverse as India. After all, why aren’t Indians listening to people who claim to be more just, peaceful, inclusive, caring and progressive? To put it bluntly, why are the liberals failing so miserably?
The reason is that despite decent intentions, liberals continue to make several mistakes. This limits their growth and reduces them to an echo chamber of their own. India needs a proper opposition, in order for its democracy to work. This includes a liberal voice and ideology that reaches far more than it does right now. Here are some mistakes India’s liberals are making that limit their growth.
In the meantime:
I thought this following author brought up some good points, it reminded me of the sustained bottom-up process (regarding societal reform) I was describing (regd India a bout article governing Hindu-muslim tensions iirc) at PDF that is contrary to preaching from insular bubbles and echo-chambers.
What do you think of this @Joe Shearer et. al?:
Full article given (so quoting in reply is easy) ...all credit given to author (Chetan Bhagat) and original link is provided:
The four reasons why Indian liberals are a fast-disappearing species
I think it is fair to admit that the influence of Indian liberals continues to dwindle every month. Outnumbered and outshouted, the Indian liberals — a motley group of individuals who claim to represent more...
The four reasons why Indian liberals are a fast-disappearing species
November 8, 2020, 6:31 AM IST Chetan Bhagat in The Underage Optimist | India | TOII think it is fair to admit that the influence of Indian liberals continues to dwindle every month. Outnumbered and outshouted, the Indian liberals — a motley group of individuals who claim to represent more left-wing, inclusive and progressive values — have lost one battle after another in the last decade. Two national elections, multiple state elections, influence in the media, social media reach, following in the youth or policy impact — the liberals haven’t managed to win against the right wing. It is true that India is a power-is-everything society with the winner-takes-all outcome. Hence, if the right wing is strongly in power, it can literally control everything and enjoy a massive fanbase. However, it still doesn’t fully explain the low appeal of liberals in a country as diverse as India. After all, why aren’t Indians listening to people who claim to be more just, peaceful, inclusive, caring and progressive? To put it bluntly, why are the liberals failing so miserably?
The reason is that despite decent intentions, liberals continue to make several mistakes. This limits their growth and reduces them to an echo chamber of their own. India needs a proper opposition, in order for its democracy to work. This includes a liberal voice and ideology that reaches far more than it does right now. Here are some mistakes India’s liberals are making that limit their growth.
- Failure to express themselves in a way India understands: The issue is not the English language. The issue is many liberals copy-paste American liberalism models and try to push them in India. It doesn’t work. Hindu-Muslim issues aren’t the same as White-Black issues. Americans don’t have caste-based reservations (barring some limited affirmative action). Americans don’t have so much regional and language heterogeneity in their population. For those who claim to be intellectuals, the lack of understanding of Indian reality and inability to communicate is baffling. Don’t talk down to people. Talk to people. And listen to them too.
- Obnoxious, holier-than-thou, one-upmanship: Sure, liberals believe in equality for all and being sensitive to racism, colourism, casteism etc. However, many of India’s liberals have no interest in making the rest of that country that way. The only thing they want to project is that they are better and more virtuous than the rest. Sometimes, they outliberal each other, saying they are even more liberal than their fellow liberals. It’s pointless and a turnoff. Aim to make India liberal, not to prove how you are more liberal than the rest.
- The lack of focus on changing the Congress leadership: All the wonderfully articulated articles, the expression of sensitivity towards all the less privileged and the rants on the BJP amount to little if there are no political wins for the ideology. The Congress was, is and will be the only real opposition to the BJP. The same Congress has a massive leadership crisis. As liberals are already outnumbered, they need to focus on one issue and put the magnifying glass over it. That issue is about the Congress leadership. Leaving it to chance, or letting it wither away while liberals write yet another anti-Modi article or talk about how BJP-ruled states are bad won’t achieve anything. Narrowing the focus to one singular issue — the Congress leadership — may actually help achieve something.
- Modi-Shah obsession: Liberals feel these two gentlemen are responsible for everything in Indian society. The first BJP victory could have come from a desire for change or the personal appeal of Modi. The second victory, however, tells us something else. It tells us that Modi-Shah are the kind of people Indian society wants. If it isn’t them, it will be someone like them. Hence, attacking them is kind of pointless at this stage. If at all, liberals need to work on the values and mindsets of Indian people. They need to show Indian people why their way of thinking is better for the nation. In this, they shouldn’t appeal on the basis of morality. They should appeal on self-interest. A peaceful, more inclusive society is better for economic growth for instance, which in turn means better jobs for you or your kids. Saying we should all be “good people” because it’s a “nice thing to do” is not going to cut much ice.
