Boris,beware the Ides of March!

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had a taste of Jaishankar plain speak on March 15 when Indian External Affairs Minister said:"As the land of Mahatma Gandhi, we can never ever turn our eyes away from racism wherever it is. Particularly so when it is in a country where we have such a large diaspora."
  • India’s External Affairs Ministers S Jaishankar made a strong statement in the Parliament that set the tone for the ensuing period of Indo-UK relations
  • Jaishankar’s statement came after a question about racism in the UK by an MP Ashwini Vaishnaw
  • Vaishnaw alleged that an Indian student and former president-elect of the Oxford University Student Union was “cyberbullied”
By Prabhu Dayal

It is indeed a cause of some concern that some mischievous, anti-India elements in the UK have an unambiguous agenda of pushing their country’s relationship with India on a downward spiral. These include Khalistan supporters and Kashmiri activists who have the backing of Pakistan’s ISI.  A series of unfortunate developments engineered by such elements have been threatening to derail the bilateral relationship.

On the Ides of March (15th March), India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar made a strong statement in the Indian Parliament which set the tone for the ensuing period of Indo-UK relations. Jaishankar’s statement came after a question about racism in the UK by an MP Ashwini Vaishnaw who alleged that Rashmi Samant, a student from Karnataka and the former president-elect of the Oxford University Student Union, was “cyberbullied to the point that she had to resign (from the post).” Jaishankar said in his reply: “As the land of Mahatma Gandhi, we can never ever turn our eyes away from racism wherever it is. Particularly so when it is in a country where we have such a large diaspora.”

Through this statement, the Indian government sent out a message that if the British parliament can debate India’s internal affairs, so can the Indian parliament debate the internal affairs of Britain. Thus, the clear message sent by New Delhi to London is that the trend being witnessed in Britain to interfere in India’s internal affairs must be brought to an end or else it will adversely affect the growth of bilateral ties.

It is indeed a cause of some concern that some mischievous, anti-India elements in the UK have an unambiguous agenda of pushing their country’s relationship with India on a downward spiral. These include Khalistan supporters and Kashmiri activists who have the backing of Pakistan’s ISI.  A series of unfortunate developments engineered by such elements have been threatening to derail the bilateral relationship.

A quick review of recent events is needed to put matters in the correct perspective. Tension has slowly built up between some British political groups and the Indian Government in regard to the farmers protests in India. When British PM Boris Johnson was slated to come to India in January this year as the Chief Guest for the Republic Day celebrations, more than a hundred members of the British Parliament had signed a letter asking him to raise the concerns of India’s protesting farmers in his discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as also the “brute force” employed against them. However, Johnson had to cancel his visit due to the surge in the Coronavirus cases in the UK.  Later, as a follow up of a petition which was started by a UK Sikh activist Gurch Singh and signed by more than 1 lakh persons, the House of Commons had assigned 90 minutes for a debate on March 8, 2021 on matters relating to the farmers’ protests in India.  During this debate, several MPs from the Liberal Democrats, Labour Party and the Scottish National Party expressed concern about the safety of the farmers protesting against the agricultural laws on Delhi’s borders and the targeting of journalists covering the agitation. They made adverse comments against India over press freedom, freedom of speech and domestic values.

The Indian High Commission in London issued a strong statement against these British Parliamentarians over their comments. The High Commission said that it would “normally refrain from commenting on an internal discussion involving a small group of Parliamentarians in a limited quorum. However, when aspersions are cast against India by anyone, there’s a need to set the record straight.”

To further underline India’s displeasure, Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla summoned the British High Commissioner and conveyed strong opposition to the unwarranted and tendentious discussion on India’s agricultural reforms in the British Parliament. The Foreign Secretary made it clear that this represented a gross interference in the politics of another democratic country. He advised that the British MPs should refrain from practicing vote bank politics by misrepresenting events, especially in relation to another fellow democracy.

Thus Jaishankar’s ‘Ides of March’ statement in Parliament was a firm signal that the demarche made recently by the Foreign Secretary with the UK high commissioner last week was more than just a passing phenomenon. However, Jaishankar went on to say during the very same statement that “as a friend of the UK, we also have concerns about its reputational impact,” adding “What I do want to say is that we have strong ties with the UK (and) we will take up such matters with great candor when required.” The use of the expressions ‘a friend of the UK’ and ‘strong ties with the UK’ indicates that having made known his displeasure, he perhaps signaled the Indian Government’s willingness to put the relationship back on track.

 Notably, within a few hours of making his statement in Parliament yesterday, Minister Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla held talks covering bilateral ties and global cooperation with Lord Tariq Ahmad, the visiting UK Minister of State for South Asia. The talks assume a great deal of significance in view of the fact that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will visit India at the end of next month in what will be his first major international trip after Britain’s exit from the European Union and will be part of his efforts to boost the UK’s opportunities in the Indo-Pacific region.

It is a truism that in diplomacy, overcoming the main threats to national interests must always override other concerns. India’s national interests are threatened by serious challenges such as the ongoing stand-off with China, the unending tension with Pakistan and the Covid-19 pandemic with its resultant slowing-down of the economy. No doubt, at this critical juncture, India can ill-afford a deterioration in its relationship with the UK, but the latter must also realize that the reverse is equally true. Hopefully, the combination of tough posturing and deft diplomacy by India will perhaps be able to put things back on track.

(The author is a retired Indian diplomat)

(Courtesy OPOYI)

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