HVK Archives: Media portrayal of BJP, far from reality
Media portrayal of BJP, far from reality - The Hindu
Sridhar Krishnaswami
()
March 28, 1998
Title: Media portrayal of BJP, far from reality
Author: Sridhar Krishnaswami
Publication: The Hindu
Date: March 28, 1998
Although the political establishment in the U.S. is not exactly
bending over backwards to say good things about the new
government in New Delhi, there is a feeling the image of the BJP
as portrayed by the American media is very different from the
reality.
At a seminar on Indo-United States relations organised by the
American Association of Physicians from India (AAPI), the Co-
Chairman of the India Caucus in the American Congress, Mr. Frank
Pallone, said that when he visited India last year and met Mr.
Atal Behari Vajpayee, he was very impressed and argued that the
BJP was probably the party which had started market reforms.
But the image being projected by the U.S. media of the BJP and
its allies is economic nationalists: and this perception 'out
there' is not favourable and one that will be a problem for the
India Caucus. "And that perception is not accurate", Mr. Pallone
said. The Congressman noted that the BJP, having to govern in a
coalition, could not pursue a pure manifestation of its policies.
Mr. Pallone, a Democrat who represents the 6th District in New
jersey, said, "it is unfair, not
only to the BJP, but to the people of India, to condemn the
government that they had peace- fully and democratically elected.
We must give the BJP the opportunity to govern. We must give them
the opportunity to enact their policies and lead the second
largest country in the world."
To say that there has been an obsession with the BJP in the
United States in the administration and Congress circles is
wrong. But at the same time there has been an ongoing
interest in the developments in India, especially as that would
pertain to continuity or changes in defence, economic and
foreign policies. Senior Indian diplomats here say that neither
the prime Minister nor the BJP are newcomers to politics and
governance.
For instance Mr. Vaipayee as foreign minister in 1977 had been an
effective spokesman for India's Foreign Policy and was primarily
responsible for a new era in relations within the region and with
the U.S. as well. The argument has been made that even 20 years
ago, for a person who had pushed for "genuine non-alignment",
Mr.Vajpayee was willing for a strengthening of India's
relationship with the U.S. and calling for an open dialogue on a
number of policies including nuclear issues.
If there has been the emphasis on the nuclear issue to an extent
here, it is because of the rhetoric coming out of the BJP even as
it was trying to tone down its domestic rhetoric for the sake of
cobbling together a coalition. The BJP Government would do well
to understand that whipping up nationalist hysteria on the
nuclear issue is not going to get it anywhere. The BJP government
must have a clear idea as to how it would pursue the matter with
Washington.
The big question here has been about whether the BJP would go
about changing the policy of "non-weaponised deterrence" and to
the Clinton administration it is how far it was willing to go in
coming to terms with India over nuclear issues. The U.S.
administration has been criticised by scholars like Mr. Selig
Harrison for not carrying out the Perry doctrine which had called
for capping and freezing instead of rollback.
Senior American Government officials have been stressing that the
agenda with India would be broad based and not be dominated by
any one issue. While issues of nuclear non-proliferation and arms
control would be on the agenda, they would not be either the only
ones or the dominating themes. If anything economic issues would
draw more than the ordinary level of attention.
Senior State Department officials like Mr. George Pickard, Senior
Policy Advisor for South Asia, say that against the backdrop of
the new and qualitative difference in bilateral relations, the
Clinton administration was looking forward to the continued
engagement of the new government in New Delhi and that the U.S.
commitment to India was not related to the political environment
in terms of the governing political parties. India and the U.S.
Mr. Pickard says, need to view and talk keeping in mind that
failure to do so would not be in the best interests of both
countries.
The Strategic Dialogue that has been going on between the two
countries, Mr. Pickard points out, deals not just with bilateral
and regional issues, but of global concerns and importance such
as China, Afghanistan, the United Nations Reforms and Russia; on
non-traditional issues this would be cooperation against the;
spread of infectious diseases; trade and commercial issues and
cooperation in science and tech-," nology, an area that is quite
often glossed over. Maintaining that the Clinton administration?
can work with the BJP, Mr. Pickard says that the first impression
is that there is continuity In foreign, defence and economic
policies.
Cross-border terrorism
PTI reports:
The United States also sought to distance itself from any role in
ending cross-border terrorism in India and suggested that'
"qualitative improvement in Indo-Pak. relationship" was the best
way to tackle it.
"The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms
terrorism wherever and whenever it comes in... (But) what can we
do more to stop it," said Mr. George Pickard.
He said the issue was "far too complicated for the United States
to simply end it of its own volition or its own unilateral
action."
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