The
invitation of US President Barak Husain Obama on the eve of Indian Republic Day
is per se a strategic move by the Indian Prime Minister Mr. Narender Modi, as
it would bring back Indo-US relation from the dormancy period towards a new
era. The Invitation is also important as Mr. Obama will be the first US
President as Chief Guest on India’s Republic Day. The Obama administration has
not reached to India as it would have been expected after the departure of
Republican President G. Bush, in the year 2009. The Indo-US relation reached at
its best during the Bush’s term and it became more vibrant after unfolding the
famous Indo-US Civil Nuclear Agreement in the year 2005.
The
presence of US President on the India’s Republic Day has substantive diplomatic
significance as on this day India demonstrates its military capability by
portraying its weaponry it is possessed with. This time it becomes more
interesting if India would display the AGNI V, Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), as some sources
believe so. The Agni-V (operational
range 5000 thousand KM) can target all of Asia and parts of the Africa and the
Europe and more importantly, can hit any part of the Beijing. It is part of the
Agni series of missiles developed under the Integrated Guided Missile
Development Programme (IGMDP). Choosing the
US President as Chief Guest and simultaneously displaying AGNI V, India has two
things to achieve clandestinely. One, India would get global legitimacy to its
military hardware in front of world’s super power and two, it would sent a
message to the Beijing about India’s military-cum-diplomatic strength.
Therefore the implication of Obama’s invitation beyond India’s borders cannot
be overruled.
In
the recent times Indo-US relation was by and large not going well. There were
many bilateral-cum-multilateral issues on which two countries differ in the
recent past. The Devyani Khobragade strip search created big irritation in
running the bilateral relation smoothly. To its earlier India refused to lean
on US side on two occasions. One India did not support US backed resolution on
Tamil human rights issue in the Srilanka in the United Nations Human Right
Council and two; India took a lenient position on the Crimean annexation by the
Russia. The big irritant in the bilateral relation is Nuclear Liability issue.
After conceding nuclear deal to India, United States would have expected big
business out of it. But the Indian government took a serious note of liability
issue in case of nuclear accident do occur in future. The issue became more
serious after the recent nuclear accident in the Japan. The US nuclear
suppliers do not want to become responsible in case of an accident but the
India position on nuclear liability stands for that supplier of nuclear
material is obligatory to bear the cast in case of such an emergency.
The
recent consensus on the signing of Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) in the
WTO, which was another contentious issue between the two countries, would also
help to substantiate the bilateral relations. The India did not support TFA as
it was not accommodating Indian subsidies and the modus operandi of its food
procurement policy at home. Now the issue has been resolved and it is expected
that the two countries would also get consensus on the climate issue.
The
Indian government will try to convince US President to deliver high technology
to India, its membership in the NSG (Nuclear Suppliers Group) and resolution of
H1B1 visa issue and in return the US president will impress on its Indian
counterpart to move beyond liability fiasco and will also pursue the recent
agreement with China on climate issue with the government of India. To what
extent the two sides will succeed on these issues but, the Indo-US bilateral
relation will be lifted towards new height.
