How long will India let Australia wear its blinkers?

Wish India had an answer from its government and its ministry of external affairs.

Seeing the state of affairs in Australia against Indians, I am sure, Rabindranath Tagore would have erased his famous “freedom” lines from his Gitanjali: “Where the Mind is without Fear and the Head is held High!” … Indians cannot claim to be “free”, not in Australia, at least!

Because, India is still suffering from its “slavery” hangover! The “please-all” and “do-not-offend” self-inflicted syndrome will always be an insurmountable barrier in its global superpowerdom aspirations!

You think I am being unnecessarily critical of India’s global ambitions? Just take a look at the adverse events continuing with Indians in Australia!

Indians are being harassed and beaten and tortured, and, now even being killed, but India is not yet ready to wake up from its slumber! It’s been almost more than a year and half since Indians are being subjected to serious kinds of racial abuse and assaults but our esteemed government has decided to keep mum! Worse, the Ministry of External Affairs is almost non-functional in spite of having a minister and two minister-of-state!

It is a sad reflection of the fact that the MEA members, though in news almost everyday, are too busy “asserting” their claims to Bossism and pursuing their hobbies – Tweeting for sure is a hobby! – infighting and complete lack of coordination & pervasive confusion. But never in all these months since its formation have we heard the MEA doing anything worthwhile in the arena of foreign policy or fulfilling its responsibilities abroad! The assertiveness with which S.M. Krishna proclaimed, “I am the Boss!” and the time Shashi Tharoor – immensely talented but perhaps a bit lost, thus, wasting his time in trivial things like Twitter - spends tweeting, (Preneet Kaur? Do we still remember her?), if only a portion of the time and energy these ministers had devoted to their “actual” work, we wouldn’t have been witnessing Indians being battered and bruised and beaten, and, now even being butchered in Australia!

The “reason” some experts like to give for continuing Australian barbarism against Indians that the Australians are being “jealous” of Indians for their growing economic clout and prowess, and thus, their hatred, they have to accept that how hollow their analysis is of this highly unfortunate situation down under! If only “this” was the case, then the wealthy Indians would have been on the target and not the students! And why isn’t the racist Australia even attempting attacks on the huge population of Chinese residents? Also, these flawed minds have to understand that in spite of escalating anti-Americanism in the world, no one – absolutely no one! – can ever dare to touch an American anywhere on this earth! Because, everybody knows only too well that their “action” would entail severe reaction from the US!

The Indian government, the Prime Minister included and of course its Ministry of External Affairs, does not have the necessary guts to speak strongly against the callous attitude of the Australia government and its failure in tackling escalating incidents of racial violence against Indian students. Why cannot Manmohan Singh simply pick up the phone and talk to Kevin Rudd in a tough manner that “enough is enough” and sternly ask him and his political colleagues with absurd mindsets to remove their blinkers fast? Why cannot the Foreign Minister (or even MOS) immediately go to Australia to make India’s anger expressed well to the establishment there? And, also show solidarity and support to the victims, who, by the way, are our own citizens?! Why has the Indian government still not issued a travel alert against Australia? …

How long will India take to realize the fact that a meek and mute country cannot – and should not – dream of global political position or power? To be heard – and respected – on the world’s high table, a nations needs to be assertive enough! India has to understand that the geopolitical game can be played only by the strong and self-assured.

To sum it up: I wish India had a P. Chidambaram as the Minister of External Affairs. He would have ensured India’s head was held high – globally and in the down under as well!