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Teflon Trump 2.0 & Its Implications for India

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Reuters reported that ‘a convicted felon is elected as the 47th President of the USA.’ Yes, convicted on 34 felony counts. The only US President with 2 Impeachment trials against him. Acquitted for abuse of power and obstruction and later for the incitement of the 6th of January Insurrection and attack on the Capitol. A corrupt, venal person, a bankrupt billionaire and 78, the oldest person to stand for the Presidential elections. A true democracy would have barred him from contesting for the highest office in the land. He has brushed aside everything for a second term at the White House. Truly remarkable. Nothing sticks to him. Teflon Trump.

What has shocked the left-liberal elite is that Trump has rallied against the odds and won the mandate emphatically in a democratic way. He has won the popular vote against VP Kamala Harris by almost 5 million votes. His electoral college votes stack up to 312 vs 226 for Harris. 46% of women voters have supported him despite his anti-abortion stance and misogynist comments; Latino votes surged to 45%; young blacks signed up for him, and Evangelicals thronged up in large numbers. Many of the latter viewed the failed assassination attempts as a Divine Call of Destiny.

The Liberal/Woke meltdown is a seminal lesson for those living in a bubble; it’s also a wake-up call for genuine liberals as their potent ideology has been diluted and contaminated by an influential coterie of self-serving people.  Elite Hysteria- we have been betrayed by the people. The educated elite cannot believe that everyone doesn’t share their beliefs and views. They have created a partisan and ideological echo chamber – an environment where they encounter only opinions and thoughts that coincide with their own, and alternative ideas are simply shrugged away. Their take on Identity Politics is that minorities and ethnic groups will only vote their way; their condescending attitude referring to Latinos as Latin X; the gender quotient with women voters inevitably lining up for Kamala Harris; that nationalism and patriotic politics are past tense. That it remained a potent force manifested in the fear of unchecked immigration. Legacy media houses have shown their total disconnect from ground realities. One cannot find a more liberal person than Senator Bernie Sanders who lashed out at the Democrats after the defeat saying that ‘they abandoned the working class which led to the working class abandoning them.’ He acidly pointed out that 60 % of the American workforce lived from paycheck to paycheck and that 20 million workers did not get even a livable minimum wage. It all boils down to the quote: “It’s the economy, stupid.’  Trump said that He would Fix It. A big takeaway for the Indian Government also. Focus on Development & the Greater Good. In the visceral hatred that was shown to Trump by the mainstream media, it was conveniently ignored that in the first term of the Trump Presidency, the USA was not involved in or did not instigate any wars. Strange for the military-industrial complex that is the USA; strange that the leftist, liberal Dems have been pro-war when it suits their agenda; strange that a liberal, woke party has abandoned the working class. Selective Agenda. Selective Narrative. Selective Outrage. We also see this being played out in India. With our Left, Liberal brigade and their colonial and ideological hangovers- for whom the BBC remains the Voice of Truth, the New York Times as the Words of Truth.

The USA has been revealed as a polarised and flawed democracy. Indian democracy and institutions come off better in comparison. Please watch the National Geographic documentary- The Great Indian Election, to appreciate the sheer magnitude and scale of the democratic exercise and how effectively it is conducted by The Election Commission of India. The Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) work effectively with Opposition protests only when they lose the election. Another pillar, the Supreme Court of India, shines when compared to SCOTUS, a rigged, corrupt institution where appointees have lifetime tenures. Kamala Harris could not become the first US women President; India already had 2 women Presidents and a strong Prime Minister in the late Mrs. Indira Gandhi, who held office for almost 16 years. It’s high time for us to shed our mongrel attitude-constantly deriding and undermining ourselves as Indians.

Millions of Indians are rejoicing at Trump’s phenomenal come-back. CAUTION. One cannot project one’s preferred outcomes on such an unpredictable personality. Trump 2.0 will disrupt the Global Order. His protectionist economic policies with higher tariffs will adversely impact Indian exports. Hopefully, things will turn out well for Indian-born green card aspirants. It is highly likely that Indian students will continue to be welcomed at US colleges, and so will be skilled Indian professionals. Trump is also expected to pull back on global commitments, and we don’t know how this will play out. However, a Trump Administration can ease things for India regarding national security, national interests, and strategic autonomy. Also, India and its companies may not be sanctioned for buying oil or armaments from Russia or doing business with them.

The Trump win may pay other dividends for India on the geopolitics and national security front against covert, subvert warfare by foreign parties. George Soros, a hedge fund manager, played a major role in triggering the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. He bet against the Malaysian currency and ruined the economy and also made huge profits by betting against the Thai Baht. The South Korean Won and Indonesian Rupiah were also targeted with dire results; this led to currency devaluation, large outflow of capital and years of political instability. Earlier in 1992, he became famous as the man who broke the Bank of England by betting against the British pound and making a billion dollars for himself in the process. Cut to 2023 when Hindenburg Research, a forward trading investor, made allegations about questionable financial dealings through offshore entities connected with Adani. Some months later, The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), funded by the Soros Open Society Foundation, alleged that Adani had engaged in stock manipulation and accounting fraud and channelized large funds to fronted offshore accounts. Old habits die hard. Adani shares tanked, and about a dozen unknown entities profited from the spoils. The Soros plan was to kill two birds with one stone. Sure enough, Rahul Gandhi and the Congress started screaming about Crony Capitalism and Corruption. Name-calling and allegations of corruption are the norm -whether it is the USA or India. The 2024 elections were around the corner. It’s the insidious, clandestine foreign meddling which is deeply disturbing. The Opposition did not join the chorus as expected and for a simple reason. Adani already had a gas-line project in the DMK-led Tamil Nadu; the Communist Government in Kerala had awarded the business house the contract to manage, operate and maintain a large port; Adani had built a major port in Naveen Patnaik’s Odisha; even the Congress-led Rajasthan Government had awarded the largest hybrid power project to the Corporate.

The Hungarian American billionaire Soros has been the largest donor to the Democratic Party for many years. Suggest to please read the book ‘Shadow Party’ by David Horowitz and Richard Poe- about how the Clintons and Soros and the 60’s radicals took over control of the Democratic Party. A NYT article eulogized him as a protector of democracy, an anti-communist, an anti-nationalist, global liberal. Soros’s clandestine influence extends to liberal media, Ivy League colleges, and established Think Tanks & NGOs, which enables him to manipulate societies and even destabilise governments. Alternate media in the US have talked about his dark side- controlling society without interfering with legislation but by controlling how laws are enforced. Thus, creating chaos and undermining the power of lawful authority.

With a Trump White House, Soros and his influential minions will be on the back foot. Especially with a powerful Elon Musk to contend with. Hopefully, it will provide India with respite from malevolent foreign interference—some examples. In 2018, Soros Open Society backed NGO -Sherpa Association filed a corruption complaint with the National Financial Prosecutor in France against the 36 Rafale aircraft deal. Connect the dots. Rahul Gandhi, Congress and the Opposition screamed ‘Scam’, and this was amplified by our Left, Liberal media in the run-up to the 2019 General elections. Frustrated that his plans had not worked out, at the 2020 Davos Conference Soros openly slammed the PM Modi Government ‘as the biggest and most frightening setback for the survival of Open Societies’ specifically mentioning CAA & Kashmir. Move to the prolonged farmer’s agitation (mainly from Punjab and in part from Haryana) in 2020-21, funded by Soros and Canadian Khalistan outfits. Please recall celebrities like Rihanna and Greta Thunberg (environmental activist) and some from Bollywood butting in.

The shadowy power of Soros. Reuters Alessandra Galloni, whose quote started this blog, is on the Committee to Protect Journalists, funded by Soros—likewise, NBC’s Lester Holt & Associated Press’s Julia Pace. CNN’s Christiane Amanpour is on the Board of Centre for Public Integrity, another Open Society venture. On a prime-time TV show she spoke of PM Modi in the same breath as Xi Jinping, Putin and the Dear Leader from North Korea. Really!! The glowing tribute of a book, ‘The Philanthropy of George Soros’ is written by Chuck Sudetic, a NYT columnist who now works for the Open Society Foundation. Economist Sanjeev Sanyal hits the bulls-eye when he says that there is so much anti-India stuff around that if AI or Chat GPT had to submit an India report, our democracy , human rights record, and governance would be shown in a starkly negative light. So, to Rahul Gandhi’s Cambridge University visit a few years back. He waved a copy of ‘The Guardian’ with the headlines, ‘Indian democracy in danger.’ It’s amusing to note that after Trump’s election, The Guardian offered counselling & therapy services to its staff and reporters.

Let’s talk about the recent events in Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League are overthrown in a well-orchestrated coup by so-called student leaders—an Islamist, extremist+ the Soros signature – an anarchist movement. The Chief Advisor to the interim government is none other than Muhammad Yunus- the esteemed ‘Banker to the Poor’ through the micro-finance Grameen Bank. He is also a Nobel Laureate, winning the Peace Prize in 2006. With humungous support from former President Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton and who else… George Soros. The Anti-Corruption Commission acquitted him of the graft charges of misappropriating $ 2 million from the Grameen Telecom Workers and Employees Welfare Fund. The Soros heir, Alex Soros, visited him in Dhaka on the 2nd of October to reinforce his support. In 2016, Yunus contributed generously to Hillary Clinton’s Presidential campaign fund. Trump’s upset win left him ‘shattered and barely able to speak or breathe.’ He dismissed it as a ‘solar eclipse’. Trump’s return to the White House has left him writing a long, rambling congratulatory message. This was surely not anticipated by ‘the Deep State.’  It is a relief of sorts for India with another hostile neighbour appearing on our borders. A point to ponder. Candidate Trump before the Election date condemned the attacks on Hindu places of worship in Dhaka and Chittagong. The Nobel Peace Prize winner has remained silent.

Although India and China have already entered into a border cease-fire agreement, the US election results will help in dousing the dragon fire to an extent. With economic problems and the threat of high tariffs for Made in China products, Emperor Xi Jinping and the CCP will have to reset their priorities. If nothing else, the uncertainties unleashed by Trump will keep them guessing. But you never know with Trump. The Saudi Prince made him dance with a sword and followed up by bailing out his son-in-law Jared Kushner from a financial crisis. If China confers him with the Ancient Order of the Dragon or invites him to grace a throne on the Great Wall, one never knows. It’s certainly bad news for Pakistan. They badly need bailouts from the IMF and the World Bank which are controlled by the USA. Also, Trump’s acknowledgement of India as a major power and the apparent Trump-Modi bonhomie will alarm the Pak Army-ISI Establishment.

Justin Trudeau will be unnerved by The Donald’s comeback. Trump had called him ‘two-faced’. The USA is Canada’s big brother, and 75% of the nation’s exports go there. He has called Khalistan Canadians celebrating the assassination of PM Indira Gandhi as ‘just exercising freedom of speech’. I sometimes wonder why the grandson and daughter-in-law are not up in arms as they should be. The unsubstantiated allegations against the Indian Government of killing Nijjar have taken a heavy toll on diplomatic relations. The attacks on Hindu temples and devotees have further undermined his hollow narrative and exposed his hypocrisy. It’s all vote-bank politics to secure his political future. Thus far, the Biden-Harris administration has played along, claiming that there was an imminent threat to another guy called Pannun. Knowing that his cosy days in the US are over, Pannun has moved to Canada and threatened to attack Hindu temples this month, including the Shree Ram Temple at Ayodhya on the 16th/17th of November. Justin Trudeau represents the white, woke icon who has self-destructed over the last few years. As regards the Sikhs, they are a hugely respected community in India for their contributions to society and the country. (Trivia- the convicted assassin of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman – Captain Noor Mohammad- has been enjoying the good life in Canada for the last 3 decades and more. Just so that you get the big picture.)

Liberal philosophy is, in its essence, a progressive philosophy. But anything good, if taken to the extreme, becomes counterproductive. Unfortunately, this humane ideology, which was primarily meant to uplift the disadvantaged and focused on human welfare, rights, freedoms and values, has been hijacked to suit the personal ambitions and agendas of some powerful people. Disconnected from the problems of the common folk and from ground realities. Many, many others have been misled, lured and trapped in this Elitist bubble. India is on track as the world’s largest, functioning democracy. However, it is a work in progress with issues of criminals in politics, corruption, unemployment, long-pending structural reforms of the judiciary and police, tax reforms and societal fractures around caste, creed and community yet to be addressed effectively. The Trump re-election will put on hold the subversive warfare launched against India to halt its progress and growing global structure. It also has many lessons for our Government and political leaders- to listen to all sections of society & to focus on innovative, inclusive development for The Greater Good.

Paris Olympics & India’s Medal Hopes

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The original Olympic motto of Faster-Higher-Stronger has a new word added to it by the International Olympic Committee (IOC)- Together. The addition in the motto acknowledges the unifying soft power of Sports and the critical need for solidarity in a troubled world. There are 206 countries in the IOC, and each will be represented by at least one athlete at the Paris Olympics. Remember that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics reached out to a global broadcast audience (TV+ Streaming) of more than 3 billion people. Only the football WC at Qatar 2022 caught more eyeballs- the finals by 1.5 billion people and the FIFA tournament by 5 billion-plus.

Let’s take a ‘dekko’ at India’s medal prospects at the Paris Summer Olympic Games. Our highest medal tally of 7 was achieved at the last Games. Now, with a 113-strong contingent led by flagbearers two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu and 42-year-old veteran TT player Sharath Kumar, can we hope for some memorable performances? Smaller nations like Australia and South Korea have consistently achieved much more medal-winning glory.

First, the Indian men’s hockey team has won 8 gold medals, starting with the Dhyan Chand glory days in Amsterdam in 1928. Sadly, the last gold medal was won at the Moscow Olympics in 1980, followed by the agonizing, interminable wait till the bronze place finish at Tokyo 2020. We owe a lot to Naveen Babu and the Odisha government for funding, sponsoring, and supporting the men’s and women’s national hockey teams. A balanced team with experienced stalwarts gives us hope. Captain and defender Harmanpreet Singh is a penalty corner specialist and one of the best drag flickers in the world. PR Sreejesh is lauded as the best goalkeeper of his generation. The key is to win the earlier matches and grow in the rhythm and confidence for the knock-out stages. Belgium and Australia are strong contenders in our group. With redoubtable sides like England, Netherlands, and Germany to take on later. Interestingly, PR Sreejesh recently shared that Rahul Dravid had once told him, “The importance of being patient and waiting for your moment.” Talking about the cricket T20 WC win, our hockey star had this to say: “The biggest thing I learned is that I don’t celebrate before the last ball.” Will our hockey team dominate the astro turfs and climb up the top podium? Will we hear our national anthem being played for victory in a sport long considered our national game?

The golden boy is indisputably Neeraj Chopra. At the last Games, he became the first Indian track and field athlete to win a gold medal at the Olympics. If he does an encore in Paris, he surely deserves the Bharat Ratna. He is also the World, Asian, and Commonwealth champion. His best javelin throw in 2024 was 88.36 meters at the Doha Diamond League competition, where he came second. Competition comes in the shape of German Max Dehring, who has cleared 90 meters. Also, happily in the form of Kishore Kumar Jena, the silver medalist at the Hangzhou Asian Games with a throw of 87.5 meters. Fortunately, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the Athletic Federation of India have pulled out all the stops for our entire contingent of athletes. No expenses have been spared to provide the best training, equipment, and facilities. Neeraj Chopra’s last many months have been spent in training and conditioning camps in South Africa, Turkey, and Switzerland.

India’s final medal haul largely depends on the performance of the shooters. An unprecedented 31 have qualified across rifle, pistol, and shotgun events—flashback to Athens 2004 when Capt. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore won the country’s first individual silver medal in the men’s double trap event. Then, we went to that momentous moment in our sporting history when Abhinav Bindra clinched the gold medal in Beijing in 2008 at the ten-meter air rifle event. Sift Kaur Samra, who holds the current world record in the Women’s 50-meter rifle three-position event, is our best bet to bite the gold medal. The National Rifle Association of India has spent more than Rs 50 crores for 45 shooter camps and drills at locations in France, Italy, and Europe. 13 foreign coaches, sports psychologists, and data analysts under a High-Performance Director have worked around the clock with the shooters. The rifles, pistols, and ammunition have been tested in Austria and Germany. It’s time to bury the ghosts of Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 when the much-hyped squad returned empty-handed.

Nikhat Zareen—a two-time world flyweight champion—and Lovlina Borgohain- welterweight bronze medalist at Tokyo 2020—lead the Indian punch in the boxing rings. Although this is her first Olympics, Nikhat’s strong technique and regimen are her forte; Lovlina has transitioned smoothly from the 75 kg to the 69 kg category. These champs and three other teammates have been training at Saarbrucken in Germany for the past month. Let’s hope they pack a real punch.

In the weightlifting discipline, Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, who won the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics, lifted our national expectations. However, she spent half a year recovering from a hip injury at the Hangzhou Asian Games. She is currently training at La Ferte Milon commune in France, accompanied by two coaches and a physio, with all expenses paid under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). IOA Chief Nutritionist Aradhana Sharma and her team have spent over three years with our medal hopefuls, especially with the boxers, weight lifters, and wrestlers, to keep them in prime health and fitness.

In wrestling, there is considerable excitement about the prospects of Aman Sehrawat, who was the gold medalist at the Asian Wrestling Championships and bronze medalist (57 kgs) at the 2022 Asian Games. Vinesh Phogat, the first Indian women’s wrestler to win gold at the Commonwealth & Asian Games, can make the country proud at the Paris Olympics. They are both supported by a non-profit Foundation called OGQ (Olympic Gold Quest) founded by billiard maestro Geet Sethi and Prakash Padukone and managed by former Indian men’s hockey captain Viren Rasquinha. It is heartening to see the growing ecosystem to boost & support our sportspeople beyond cricket.

The Indian compound women’s archery team recently achieved a hat trick by securing their third successive World Championship gold. Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Aditi Swami, and Parneet Kaur are favored to hit the bull’s eye at the Paris Olympics in the team events. Jyothi, the world no. 3 archer who has shown fantastic focus and presence of mind, is expected to win multiple medals.

Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu can add further laurels to her already stellar badminton career. Satwik Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, world badminton doubles No.1, have a proven record in major tournaments to serve India a possible gold medal. Satwik’s recovery from a shoulder injury is the point of concern.

So, finally, we go to the actual track and field. Milkha Singh finished fourth in the 400-meter Rome Olympics (1960), missing the bronze by a whisker. Even with the Indian Army providing support, it must have been a case of ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’- a herculean, individual effort. The same story continued in the 1984 Games, with PT Usha clocking 55.42 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles and missing the bronze medal by 1/100th of a second. At the World Athletic Championship at Budapest 2023 (4X 400 men’s relay), Muhammad Yahya, Amoj Jacob, Muhammed Ajmal, and Rajesh Ramesh placed 5th at 2,59,05. The US team won with a time of 2,57,31. Is India going to celebrate its first-ever track medal at the Paris Games?!

At the 2028 LA Olympics, our national obsession, cricket, will become an Olympic sport. Great for the game and its popularity. But it’s high time we appreciate and revel in India’s achievements at the highest levels in other sports, athletics, and other disciplines. Success at the Olympics is the epitome of international recognition in many ways. Wouldn’t it be divine if Arjuna and Karna were to inspire our archers to hit the wooden bird’ eye repeatedly without shifting focus from the target?! Again, in the Mahabharata, the javelin was used as a weapon for close-range duels and to hurl in the distance to keep enemies at bay. What are the odds that Neeraj Chopra and Kishore Kumar Jena occupy the top 2 spots on the victory podium?! Yes, indeed!! If the Indian Olympic contingent can return from Paris 2024 with a haul of 12+ medals (including at least two golds), it will be a triumph of Epic proportions.