AHMEDABAD, India — President Trump on Monday kicked off his first official visit to India when he landed in this western city, in Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where he was greeted by crowds and signs hailing the meeting of the leaders of the largest and oldest democracies in the world. But the welcoming images and festive mood presented by the government contrasted very starkly with the tense and polarized political climate in India.
It was clear that the 36-hour tour was designed to bolster the image of the two men, not improve the ties between the two nations.
As Trump’s cavalcade passed a wall constructed weeks before his arrival to hide a slum near the airport, Hemlata Rabari, 52, a resident, wondered if India was ashamed of her existence. “Why did they have to hide us behind a wall? Are we not human beings? We might be laborers but we live a life with dignity.”
Trump’s first stop was an ashram on the banks of the Sabarmati River where Mohandas Gandhi once lived. There Modi allegedly explained the historic significance of Gandhi’s teachings. But apparently the lesson was not compelling enough for the U.S. president, who signed the visitor book at the ashram “To my great friend Prime Minister Modi,” with no mention of Gandhi. Just last year, Trump referred to Modi as “the father of India,” a title reserved for Gandhi for leading the nonviolent struggle for independence. But don’t expect Modi or his supporters to correct the record.
Next stop for Trump: a large stadium where the two leaders hugged for the cameras and addressed a large crowd. Many attendees wore Trump and Modi masks. The U.S. president spoke admiringly of Modi and his humble beginnings as a tea seller, but the loudest cheer from the crowd came when Trump spoke of the need to eradicate Islamic terrorism.
A young student from Gujarat University who wore a Modi mask told me that Trump understood the menace Muslims were to the world, just like Modi did, and that made them a strong combination. Comments like that placed Trump’s stop in Gujarat in the context of the state’s tormented history. In 2002, about 1,000 Muslims were slaughtered there under the watch of Modi, who was then state chief.
Today, Trump’s visit is playing right into the hands of Modi’s divisive Hindu nationalist rhetoric and policies. Since December, the country has seen a wave of protests against a discriminatory law that gives undocumented immigrants path to citizenship but excludes Muslims. When Trump landed in New Delhi, protesters had taken to the streets but were largely ignored by the mainstream media.
But Trump has made no mention of religious freedom or the controversial citizenship bill at the heart of the protests. When he and the first lady landed in Agra to visit the Taj Mahal, they were received by a group of dignitaries, including the Islamophobic monk Yogi Adityanath.
A leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, Kapil Mishra, who also has a history of provocative remarks against Muslims, asked pro-government people to give a fitting reply to protesters once Trump left the country. “We will be peaceful till Trump leaves," he threatened. "After that, we won’t listen to even you if the roads are not cleared.”
By the time Trump landed in New Delhi, a policeman was killed and a Muslim man was brutally beaten (perhaps fatally) during clashes between protesters and right-wing groups. The news agency Reuters quoted witnesses who saw cops standing as bystanders, refusing to quell the attacks against Muslims. “Go ahead and throw stones,” one policeman shouted to counter-protesters who backed Modi’s citizenship law. Other reports said three protesters were killed.
While Modi avoids news conferences, it will be interesting to see if Trump holds one of his unscripted sessions with journalists. Will he talk about the law that has triggered protests not far from where he is staying?
I doubt it. Trump’s own Islamophobia needs no introduction; his friend Modi is almost a mirror image, an ally who speaks the language that divides, polarizes and berates all critics.
Trump’s visit is meant only to satiate his narcissistic instinct of seeing millions of people chanting his name. Modi, whose own megalomaniacal tendencies are legendary, is getting what he wants, too: the president of the United States praising him in front of television cameras and his ardent supporters.
This is no celebration of democracy. This is a celebration of selfish ambition.
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