WASHINGTON: Cynics went haywire learning that US President – who was keen to resolve the Indo-Pak dispute over Kashmir – has suddenly decided to grace PM Modi’s Community Summit of Indian-Americans on 22nd Sept. in Houston’s NRG Stadium.
According to sources President Trump and Prime Minister Modi’s political managers had been in touch for quite some time now. Trump had agreed in principal to attend Modi’s rally. Trump and Modi will be announcing a US-India trade deal on the occasion.
Pundits at the helm of affairs believe that like many other countries (including UAE) Trump too had decided to shun Pakistan high and dry as a corrupt as well as bankrupt state of 200 million and shake hands with India – a consumer market of a billion people.
Secondly, flirting with the India would help Trump lure the votes of 50,000 Indian-Americans who will attend the rally. Trump faces a difficult re-election next year with at least two Republicans who have vowed to challenge him. Hence in this scenario 3.2 million Indian-Americans can play a decisive role. Moreover, they constitute US’s richest and most educated ethnic group with a median income of $110,000.
Indian Americans mostly lean towards the Democratic Party, but Trump has been attempting to attract their attention since 2016 when he became the first presidential candidate to appear at an Indian-American event in New Jersey. He vowed to be India’s “best friend.”
Since there is no such thing as a free lunch, Indian Prime Minister too wants to be seen walking hand-in-hand with free world’s most powerful leader. In the present scenario when India and Pakistan are at the verge of a nuclear war, Trump’s presence at the rally would be translated into acceptance of Indian move of stripping Kashmir of its autonomy.
It is pertinent to mention here that 10000 Pakistanis have proclaimed to converge outside the Houston’s NRG Stadium to disrupt the show. However, organizers of the show are expecting that since the president of USA is involved the rules of the games would be dictated by secret service and they will keep the Pakistani crowd at a comfortable distance.
