The Khobragade affair needs very little by way of an introduction, to a nation and people that have been screamed at by its media on this issue.
Briefly - one of India's serving diplomats, Devyani Khobragade, was arrested in the USA, on a charge of visa fraud, which is a felony, and she claimed she was strip searched and cavity searched, thereby breaching her diplomatic immunity protection. India screamed blue murder.
Page on Reuters
The USA is capable of much more heinous crime, like dropping bombs on unsuspecting and unconnected and absolutely peaceful people, claiming collateral damage in a "legally" sanctioned war, and its president can escape trial for war crimes, but in this case, there hasn't quite been so much crass violation as there has been carrying out of duty by its law enforcement agencies.
The reason is simple. India's diplomat was personally responsible for an unlawful act under the USA's visa rules, in the hiring of a maid, who she paid below minimum wage. Khobragarde was not doing a job assigned to her by her nation. This is personal, not professional. So India wasn't really required to press for her immunity from any kind of arrest.
But, this is India under the Congress Party's rule, and it hasn't exactly set the nation on fire with its accomplishments in this current term. It needs to look good to its own people. Add to this, Mayawati, the ex-Chief Minister of one of its populous states, added fuel to the fire by saying the central government is dragging its feet on this issue because Khobragarde is from one of the lower castes!
So, India (I mean the Congress Party) sprung into action and claimed the USA had violated its trust and endangered its diplomatic relationship with India, and removed barricades meant to protect US embassies in India, and asked serving US diplomats in India to return their identity cards that granted them several privileges. It went even further and asked for a full apology from the USA, and Salman Khurshid, India's External Affairs minister, said their diplomat's "honor" would be fully restored!
Devyani Khobragade case: US must do something, says External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid
What has been startlingly absent is an acceptance that Khobragade did something illegal. No matter what fancy diplomatic language is used to cover up this fact, she did something unlawful in a foreign country, and expected her official position to cover for this. Nothing can be more disgustingly obvious of the hypocrisy India indulges in, during fiascos like this one.
The USA also subscribes to several shades of hypocrisy, but in this case, it stands absolutely in the clear as far as the legality of the arrest of Khobragarde goes. How better it could have handled this matter is debatable, and claims of regret over the handcuffing, strip searching and placing with common criminals in custody may or may not be convincing. However...
The fact remains that the trigger for this cascade of events was Khobragade's wrongdoing. Why is India finding it really hard to accept this and indeed, even mention it? It's because most Indian officials, in any capacity, are wont to abuse their power in some way or the other. Starting from using the state provided car for personal needs, like dropping off the family at the airport, to bending as many rules as possible when there is some small benefit to be had, with very little risk of getting caught, Indian officials, no matter which government they work for, are mostly guilty of many petty crimes. So none of them feel Khobragarde did anything so "grave" as to warrant such extreme treatment.
Every message and every projection of the Indian government has been that the nation has somehow been wronged, and we, the people of India, must show our rightful indignation!
"The fact is that (the) American authorities have behaved atrociously with an Indian diplomat. And obviously, America has to make good for its actions," said Manish Tiwari, minister for information and broadcasting. As shrill as this sounds, it appears in an article about rowdy elements ransacking a business establishment using an American brand - Dominos Pizza! Mumbai: Protesters attack Dominos outlet over Devyani Khobragade case
For some reason, India's inferiority complex comes forth at times like these, when it feels it needs to stand up to the big brother, the USA! Well, if it needed opportunities like this, it could very well have stood up to the USA when Bush decided to attack Iraq based on its pretentious and highly dubious claims of Weapons of Mass Destruction and called it a bloody sham. After all, thousands of Indians were working in Iraq, legally, I might add, and their interests had to be guarded at all costs. But none of them were diplomats, or officials, and people worthy of protecting like this. It is true Air India did a big evacuation of Indian citizens from Iraq, but what could have been a better opportunity than telling the USA, "India is extremely disappointed with the USA's decision to attack Iraq, and has decided to suspend all diplomatic ties in view of this dastardly and tragic decision"? That would have been a show of national character, of belief in peaceful means of existence, of subscription to a high standard in international relations.
India could have told Hillary Clinton to mind her own business when she said she would like to wean India away from Iranian oil and gas, for India has excellent relations with Iran, no matter what the USA says about that nation. India could be regularly playing up the damage drones are causing to its neighbour Pakistan. But then, its media outlets, particularly English language channels, are owned by US interests! How can this ever happen, except for some polite banter or debate? It's balls that they lack, and this is a good representation of India today - shallow in character, big on noise.
Khobragade doesn't seem to have any stellar character to bulk up any dossier on her that might be forming this moment. She owns properties that were meant for war veterans, and has other dubious connections. All very common in India's bureaucratic circles. It would appear that not only are most Indian government servants in power abusing their position, but indeed that they get into such positions for the express purpose of abusing the law to accrue assets and advantages they would normally not be entitled to or be competent enough to accrue on their own as private and legitimate entrepreneurs.
No matter what caste she comes from, and it really doesn't and shouldn't matter - Khobragade's behaviour indicates something low. You don't employ a maid, a subordinate, and pay that person less than minimum wage! Mayawati also comes from a lower caste, and she amassed wealth to an unprecedented degree when she was in power as the Chief Minister of UP. There are any number of cases pending against her and people in her government. This could be an indication of a mindset - when given the opportunity, rise at any cost to offset any feeling of inferiority on any front!
What has been lost in the process of this needless grunting from the Indian government is the opportunity to set the record straight and demonstrate that India puts lawful behaviour by its diplomats and representatives on high priority and ask the USA how it can assist in the process of resolving this issue. What can possibly be lost in accepting the fact that one of its servants did indeed commit a crime?
Completely the opposite, India (read the Congress Party) has seen this as an opportunity to launch an all out offensive, in order to shore up its image as a failed, weak and unresponsive government, and has used its diplomatic capital to put pressure on the USA! It has gone far enough to try and move Khobragade to the UN, which would mean greater protection and immunity for a wrongdoer, but the USA has stated very clearly that that sort of immunity cannot be applied retroactively.
The simple question is - when you commit visa fraud, you are committing a crime that common criminals do! Why would you want to be treated any differently for the same crime? Why should you expect to be allowed to be placed in some sort of luxurious custody, while your nation "figures out" how to get you out of a mess you created? It is the expectation of the hypocrites, not the truth seekers.
It is the expectation of those that have lived their lives mired in shady behaviour, who accept ambiguity as an ally, and unspoken rules as the guiding principles of their very existence. Which bloody maid could be expected to complain against her boss of wrongdoing, that too in a foreign land? Well, that's the whole high class versus low class attitude for you! Khobragarde was wrong in assuming that all maids are indeed mute slaves.
What India has on its hands is an absolutely naked exposure of its hypocrisy and its unwillingness to come out of its murky labyrinth of government working class corruption, its compromise of all morals, its lack of humility and a striking shortage of national character. This is the damage India needs to repair, not the damage that has happened to one of its errant ambassadors - someone it should be ashamed of, not protecting.
Briefly - one of India's serving diplomats, Devyani Khobragade, was arrested in the USA, on a charge of visa fraud, which is a felony, and she claimed she was strip searched and cavity searched, thereby breaching her diplomatic immunity protection. India screamed blue murder.
reuters.com
The USA is capable of much more heinous crime, like dropping bombs on unsuspecting and unconnected and absolutely peaceful people, claiming collateral damage in a "legally" sanctioned war, and its president can escape trial for war crimes, but in this case, there hasn't quite been so much crass violation as there has been carrying out of duty by its law enforcement agencies.
The reason is simple. India's diplomat was personally responsible for an unlawful act under the USA's visa rules, in the hiring of a maid, who she paid below minimum wage. Khobragarde was not doing a job assigned to her by her nation. This is personal, not professional. So India wasn't really required to press for her immunity from any kind of arrest.
But, this is India under the Congress Party's rule, and it hasn't exactly set the nation on fire with its accomplishments in this current term. It needs to look good to its own people. Add to this, Mayawati, the ex-Chief Minister of one of its populous states, added fuel to the fire by saying the central government is dragging its feet on this issue because Khobragarde is from one of the lower castes!
So, India (I mean the Congress Party) sprung into action and claimed the USA had violated its trust and endangered its diplomatic relationship with India, and removed barricades meant to protect US embassies in India, and asked serving US diplomats in India to return their identity cards that granted them several privileges. It went even further and asked for a full apology from the USA, and Salman Khurshid, India's External Affairs minister, said their diplomat's "honor" would be fully restored!
Devyani Khobragade case: US must do something, says External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid
What has been startlingly absent is an acceptance that Khobragade did something illegal. No matter what fancy diplomatic language is used to cover up this fact, she did something unlawful in a foreign country, and expected her official position to cover for this. Nothing can be more disgustingly obvious of the hypocrisy India indulges in, during fiascos like this one.
The USA also subscribes to several shades of hypocrisy, but in this case, it stands absolutely in the clear as far as the legality of the arrest of Khobragarde goes. How better it could have handled this matter is debatable, and claims of regret over the handcuffing, strip searching and placing with common criminals in custody may or may not be convincing. However...
The fact remains that the trigger for this cascade of events was Khobragade's wrongdoing. Why is India finding it really hard to accept this and indeed, even mention it? It's because most Indian officials, in any capacity, are wont to abuse their power in some way or the other. Starting from using the state provided car for personal needs, like dropping off the family at the airport, to bending as many rules as possible when there is some small benefit to be had, with very little risk of getting caught, Indian officials, no matter which government they work for, are mostly guilty of many petty crimes. So none of them feel Khobragarde did anything so "grave" as to warrant such extreme treatment.
Every message and every projection of the Indian government has been that the nation has somehow been wronged, and we, the people of India, must show our rightful indignation!
"The fact is that (the) American authorities have behaved atrociously with an Indian diplomat. And obviously, America has to make good for its actions," said Manish Tiwari, minister for information and broadcasting. As shrill as this sounds, it appears in an article about rowdy elements ransacking a business establishment using an American brand - Dominos Pizza! Mumbai: Protesters attack Dominos outlet over Devyani Khobragade case
For some reason, India's inferiority complex comes forth at times like these, when it feels it needs to stand up to the big brother, the USA! Well, if it needed opportunities like this, it could very well have stood up to the USA when Bush decided to attack Iraq based on its pretentious and highly dubious claims of Weapons of Mass Destruction and called it a bloody sham. After all, thousands of Indians were working in Iraq, legally, I might add, and their interests had to be guarded at all costs. But none of them were diplomats, or officials, and people worthy of protecting like this. It is true Air India did a big evacuation of Indian citizens from Iraq, but what could have been a better opportunity than telling the USA, "India is extremely disappointed with the USA's decision to attack Iraq, and has decided to suspend all diplomatic ties in view of this dastardly and tragic decision"? That would have been a show of national character, of belief in peaceful means of existence, of subscription to a high standard in international relations.
India could have told Hillary Clinton to mind her own business when she said she would like to wean India away from Iranian oil and gas, for India has excellent relations with Iran, no matter what the USA says about that nation. India could be regularly playing up the damage drones are causing to its neighbour Pakistan. But then, its media outlets, particularly English language channels, are owned by US interests! How can this ever happen, except for some polite banter or debate? It's balls that they lack, and this is a good representation of India today - shallow in character, big on noise.
Khobragade doesn't seem to have any stellar character to bulk up any dossier on her that might be forming this moment. She owns properties that were meant for war veterans, and has other dubious connections. All very common in India's bureaucratic circles. It would appear that not only are most Indian government servants in power abusing their position, but indeed that they get into such positions for the express purpose of abusing the law to accrue assets and advantages they would normally not be entitled to or be competent enough to accrue on their own as private and legitimate entrepreneurs.
No matter what caste she comes from, and it really doesn't and shouldn't matter - Khobragade's behaviour indicates something low. You don't employ a maid, a subordinate, and pay that person less than minimum wage! Mayawati also comes from a lower caste, and she amassed wealth to an unprecedented degree when she was in power as the Chief Minister of UP. There are any number of cases pending against her and people in her government. This could be an indication of a mindset - when given the opportunity, rise at any cost to offset any feeling of inferiority on any front!
What has been lost in the process of this needless grunting from the Indian government is the opportunity to set the record straight and demonstrate that India puts lawful behaviour by its diplomats and representatives on high priority and ask the USA how it can assist in the process of resolving this issue. What can possibly be lost in accepting the fact that one of its servants did indeed commit a crime?
Completely the opposite, India (read the Congress Party) has seen this as an opportunity to launch an all out offensive, in order to shore up its image as a failed, weak and unresponsive government, and has used its diplomatic capital to put pressure on the USA! It has gone far enough to try and move Khobragade to the UN, which would mean greater protection and immunity for a wrongdoer, but the USA has stated very clearly that that sort of immunity cannot be applied retroactively.
The simple question is - when you commit visa fraud, you are committing a crime that common criminals do! Why would you want to be treated any differently for the same crime? Why should you expect to be allowed to be placed in some sort of luxurious custody, while your nation "figures out" how to get you out of a mess you created? It is the expectation of the hypocrites, not the truth seekers.
It is the expectation of those that have lived their lives mired in shady behaviour, who accept ambiguity as an ally, and unspoken rules as the guiding principles of their very existence. Which bloody maid could be expected to complain against her boss of wrongdoing, that too in a foreign land? Well, that's the whole high class versus low class attitude for you! Khobragarde was wrong in assuming that all maids are indeed mute slaves.
What India has on its hands is an absolutely naked exposure of its hypocrisy and its unwillingness to come out of its murky labyrinth of government working class corruption, its compromise of all morals, its lack of humility and a striking shortage of national character. This is the damage India needs to repair, not the damage that has happened to one of its errant ambassadors - someone it should be ashamed of, not protecting.
