SLAM Khurshid

Everybody saw Salman Khurshid’s desperate picture shaking hands with Wang Yi, the Chinese counterpart of the Indian external Affairs Minister. That look of ‘satisfaction’ that he boasted off a little too much in his briefing with the media, later is alarming for the rest of the country. We have in our midst extremely articulate gentlemen who are capable of toying endlessly with words and making them sound bombastic and disarmingly impressive, holding key positions in the government. But a foreign government is hardly affected by the choice of words or however they are presented to their translators. Only the domestic population seeks to bow their heads down half in conformity, and a quarter each in shame and disappointment. I, unfortunately am trapped in the latter two quarters.

What is the job profile of an External Affairs Minister? I am sure it is more than that of a hospitality manager and host, or a tourist eager to please. The Indian idiom chhota mu badi bat stands enforced while I observe that a foreign minister represents his government in the international community, and that representation involves taking care of all the edges and nooks that need attention. The Brazilian constitutional lingo translates this ministerial position as Minister of External Relations; pardon my pedagogical vindication, but this is a man who, therefore is conscientious about what ‘affairs’ of a country must go on the table for discussion in an international forum. But alas, the Indian political system stinks pungently of religious appeasement drills aftermath, and the legacy is hard to not adhere to anymore, be that at home or elsewhere.

The incursion in Ladakh by the People’s Liberation Army was an act of blasphemy in terms of international relations and maintenance of status quo after the bloody war of 1962. Similar circumstances after the ultimate precipitation in ’62 have taken threatening forms but fortunately have never formalized ever since, nevertheless there is no assurance that they will not anymore. It is ironical that most often such incidents of frontal encounters have taken place around the time when Chinese delegates or ministers were on Indian visits. The latest confrontation at hand where the yellow forces set up tents in Indian Territory could have been discussed and seriously frowned upon over before Yi, but the occasion was allowed to pass as coldly as does any logical imagination.

Khurshid, that impudent mongoose (forget the folkloric qualities, severe offence intended), brazenly committed that he did not seek any explanation over the infiltration, while his meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister. Both sides having already reached a peaceful resolve for the situation, where Indian bunkers, on Indian soil, had to be destroyed in order to calm the Chinese down, Salman thought it improper to raise a question or at least show some aversion to such unacceptable arm twisting. He also said that it was inappropriate at this stage to apportion blame at anybody and this would disturb the status of tremendous relief and satisfaction that the problem could be resolved in such little time.

Of course, when you bend down before a monster and promise to co-operate all through, and refuse to see this as a problem, there will be tremendous satisfaction at the end of such metaphorical Asian sodomy. India is in very unsafe hands, where ministers are not only timid but also keen on always placating the enemy.