Donald Trump and Rahul Gandhi; US and German hypocrisy
Donald Trump would go in the annals of history as the first former US President to face criminal charges. A New York Court has indicted him on 34 counts, the main being the charges of paying $ 130,000 to a film star before his 2016 successful presidential election. Since he was fingerprinted, Trump was considered to have been arrested for appearing before a court and undergoing the judicial procedure. And, thus the law took its own course.
The developments involving Trump, before and after the event, certainly hogged headlines the world over but no official reaction from any country-obviously so because it was a domestic issue of a sovereign country. The US must be appreciating the non-interference of the foreign governments.
However, the self-styled global cop does not appreciate the sensitivities of the other nations, especially the world’s largest democracy India. Shamelessly the US State Department poked its nose into conviction and disqualification of the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi by a Surat Court after undergoing an elaborate judicial process, as per the law of the land. Accordingly, as per the People’s Representation Act, the Gandhi scion lost his Lok Sabha membership. Instead of appreciating and understanding the Indian procedure, the US State Department came up with an unwarranted, unethical and uncalled for observation with its main Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel saying, “respect for the rule of law and judicial independence is a cornerstone of any democracy. We’re watching Mr. Gandhi’s case in Indian courts, and we engage with the Government of India on our shared commitment to democratic values – including, of course, freedom of expression”. This is how the US is encouraging racist comments by Indian leaders. He also parroted the same rants ‘protection of human rights’ and ‘democratic principles’.
What is the locus standi of the US in interfering with India’s internal matters? Who are they to ‘watch’ or ‘monitor’ as to what is happening constitutionally, democratically and legally in India? The Congress, which has ruled this nation for over six decades, should have told the US to ‘shut-up’. But ‘no’, the comments were soothing and serving like oxygen to the Congress on its last breaths. On the contrary, the Congress’s loose cannon, not as loose as Rahul Gandhi himself, Digvijay Singh expressed his gratitude to Germany for making similar remarks after the court conviction and disqualification of the Congress MP from the Lok Sabha. The Germany Foreign Ministry spokesperson had told reporters that Berlin had “taken note” of the verdict, and was watching the next steps, including his ability to appeal the verdict and whether the “suspension of his mandate” was justified. “[Germany] expects that standards of judicial independence and fundamental democratic principles will equally apply to the proceedings against Rahul Gandhi.”
Highly elated and indebted Digvijay Singh responded: Thank you Germany Foreign Affairs Ministry and Richard Walker @rbsw for taking note of how the Democracy is being compromised in India through persecution of @RahulGandhi
The Congress is itching to make India a colony, only because it has been deprived of its assumed right of ruling the country, and that too by a family, directly or indirectly though remote control.
India has shown tremendous grace and grit in meeting the global challenges, especially post 2014 when the Congress, after losing power, maligned and defamed the nation–in its hate-Modi state of mind, by seeking interference from the world powers. The grand old party did not feel any shame or remorse in ‘seeking the assistance’ from even the failed state of Pakistan, India’s chronic enemy in the backyards. The campaign is going on. It witnessed all time low when the disqualified and convicted Rahul Gandh, prior to the legal and administrative developments, had virtually sought the intervention of the US and the UK during his visit to Cambridge University, saying that Europe and the US are not doing enough to restore democracy in India as they are getting trade and money from the country.
What if the US gets back from other countries what it stated on Rahul Gandhi’s conviction and disqualification? The hypocrites!