THE arrest and strip search in New York of an Indian envoy, Devyeni Khobragade due to visa irregularity had caused great turmoil in New Delhi. The relationship between India and the US seemed to be on the rocks. The treatment Khobragade received led to considerable indignation in South Block as it was against diplomatic propriety. India withdrew some of the privileges enjoyed by US diplomats in India. Praise was showered on the Indian government in concerned quarters for refusing to be bullied by the US. India’s external affairs minister Salman Khurshid attributed the crisis to the overbearing attitude of the US state department security. The US could have merely warned senior Indian officials in the Indian embassy and Khobragade could have been asked to leave. Tension mounted between the two countries threatening to hurt diplomatic ties but finally a deal has been struck through unofficial channels. Khobragade has been allowed to return to India but she has been indicted by a federal jury.
The incident shows that all is not well with Indo-US relations. The retaliatory measures taken by India were acclaimed by most people in the country. Admittedly the treatment meted out to Khobragade could not be in any way justified. But whatever the issue at stake, it appears that there is a ‘gut anti-American’ feeling in India. Perhaps it dates back to the US tilt to Pakistan in the time of Ayub Khan and the US attitude during the Bangladesh war in 1971. However, in view of the global importance of the US and the need to strengthen Indo-US economic and strategic ties, such anti-Americanism should be rationally examined.
