CHAPTER 1. Mr. A.B. Vajpayee and the Indo-US relations

1

THE INDO-US RELATIONS

           The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee assumed power on 13 October 1999.

          Mr. A. B. Vajpayee, Prime Minister of India, had been pre-occupied over the question of restoring the Indo-US relations to the pre 11 May 1998 nuclear blast level for some time. However, he maintained a studied silence in this matter.

          The US House of Representatives, on 17 November 1999, urged Mr. Bill Clinton, President of the USA, to travel to India to make the US-Indo relationship into a strategic partnership. The “India Resolution” was put to vote at the instance of the Chairman of the International Relations Committee, Mr. Benjamin Gilman.  200 Republicans, 195 Democrats and an Independent voted for the resolution. Just two Republicans and two Democrats voted against it. 34 members were not present.

          During the collapsed World Trade Organization (WTO) talks held on 20 December 1999 Mr. Maran, Indian Minister for Commerce, had a lunch with Mr. Bill Clinton, President of the USA. Mr. Maran said to Mr. Bill Clinton, “We are looking forward to your visit to India, Mr. President”. Mr. Bill Clinton immediately said, “I shall definitely be coming”. Thus he personally confirmed his visit to India.

          Curiously, the USA began to harden its stand towards India in December 1999. Thus it imposed an anti-dumping duty on steel plates imported from India and five other countries. The dumping margin for India was 72.49 per cent. It was only 59.12 per cent for Japan. At the same time, it formally removed 51 Indian entities from an originally sanctioned list of about 250 following the 11 May 1998 Pokhran nuclear tests. Therefore, a team of senior Indian officials went to Washington and held talks with their counterparts in the USA. India wanted total lifting of the US blockade on the transfer of sensitive technologies to India. The talks paved the way to the 10th round of talks between Mr. Jaswant Singh, External Affairs Minister, and Mr. Strobe Talbott, US Deputy Secretary of State.

          The USA stood by India when the Indian Airline (IA) plane was hijacked on 24 December 1999. After India had solved the crisis, the USA openly pledged to work with other countries to bring to justice those responsible for the hijack.

          But, after Mr. A.B. Vajpayee had openly requested the USA to declare Pakistan as terrorist state, the latter replied that any country to be designated a terrorist state, the US Secretary of State must determine that its government had repeatedly provided support for international terrorism. This prompted Mr. I.K. Gujral, a former Prime Minister of India, to declare that the rejection by the USA was a very big rebuff to India.

          Now- 7 January 2000- India arrested four accomplices of the hijackers and exhibited the photographs of five others. It was followed by the announcement of Masood Azhar that war against India and the USA would continue. Immediately, the USA requested Pakistan to investigate whether the action of Masood Azhar violated any Pakistani law. Thus the hijack of the plane diluted the anger of the USA towards the 11 May 1998 nuclear blasts.

          On 8 January 2000, Mr. Richard Celeste called on Mr. A. B. Vajpayee with regard to the proposed visit of Mr. Bill Clinton to India. After the meeting the Prime Minister said that the Indo-US ties had never been better.

          The meeting was followed by the visit of Mr. Strobe Talbott to India. He acknowledged the right of India to build a credible minimum nuclear deterrent - necessary to ensure Indian security. All that he wanted was that India must stand by its words that it would not be an open ended competition of arms.  He agreed that the security interests of India go beyond the sub-continent.

          Further, Mr. Talbott wanted a qualitatively different and better relationship between India, and the USA ending the unnatural antipathy of the last five years. The reasons for the departure of their policy – according to him- were: 1. The Indians have earned it through their hard-work and commitment to democracy. 2. India would be a force for good in the world and 3. India would be a more effective partner for the USA in pursuing the many interests common to both countries.

          Mr. Talbott requested India not to take its policy towards China or Isreal as a reference point to judge the relationship with India. According to him, many sanctions imposed by the USA were not at all India specific but applied to all countries to meet global non-proliferation objectives. Never in the past had the USA explained its stand for friendship with India.

       Prior to the visit of Mr.Talbott, India and the USA had reached an agreement to lift longstanding Indian import restrictions. India had imposed those restrictions partly to curtail American influence and partly to protect Indian industries although the reason cited was balance of payment.

          In this connection, it must be noted that the World Trade Organization (WTO) rejected the claim of India that its balance of payment justified import restrictions. The WTO felt that India no longer had balance of payment problem that justified such restrictions and asked India and the USA -through its 23 August 1999 ruling – to start negotiations. This culminated in the 28 December 1999 agreement. As per the agreement, India committed to lift over 1400 specific restrictions before April 2001.

        It must be noted that in1998 the American exports to India stood at $3.6 billion while its imports from India stood at $ 8.2 billion.

          Curiously, the authorities of the Museum of Tolerance at Los Angles removed the portrait of Mr. L.K. Advani, Home Minister of India, from the Demagogue Wall at the instance of Mr. Sunil Agni, President of the Indo-American Political Foundation. The portrait had been hung beside that of Idi Amin, and others responsible for crimes against humanity.

Visit of Mr. Bill Clinton to India.

          Then Mr. Lawrence H. Summers, Treasury Secretary of the USA visited India and called on Mr. A. B. Vajpayee.  He handed over a letter from Mr. Bill Clinton. In the letter, he had said that the issues of economic potential were very important to him and that he was looking forward to visiting India. He, further, said that the President would be looking forward and not backwards.

          Mr. Yashwant Singh requested Mr. Summers to lift sanctions by financial institutions and to resume the facility of General System of Preferences which had been extended to Indian exports in the past. Thus India wanted to welcome the US President in an atmosphere free of sanctions.

          While Mr. Summers was still in India, Mr. Jaswant Singh and Mr. Tolbott began their two day 10th round of parleys on 19 January 2000 in a veil of secrecy in an undisclosed venue near London. The seriousness with which the talks proceeded indicated that India expected the US to lift the sanctions to create a conducive environment.

          During this time, Mr. Karl Inderfurth, Assistant Secretary of State, visited Pakistan. Standing in the Pakistani soil, he asked Pakistan to either extradite or prosecute the hijackers of the IC-814. He also asked Pakistan to curb Islamic militant groups operating within its borders.

          Coming back, the Tolbott –Singh talks did not make much headway. Therefore, Mr. Bill Clinton availed himself of the Indian Republic Day to reiterate the American point of view. In a message to the Prime Minister of India Mr. Clinton said, “ I look forward to my visit and to meeting you. I am sure that during and after my visit, we and other governments will be able to find ways to strengthen the ties, broaden relationship and enhance the co-operation between our two nations. As we stand at the dawn of the new millennium, I applaud India for the strength if its republic’s democratic institutions and I am confident that through democracy India will secure lasting peace and security”. Obviously, the President had friendship in one hand and sanctions on the other.

          Reflecting the anger of the Americans, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) authorities of the USA arrested 40 Indian software programmers in the third week of January 2000. They were handcuffed and paraded through the Highways in Texas. The action of INS appeared to be a part of ‘crackdown on Indians. After India had announced the visit of the US President, the cases against them were withdrawn. Later –on 27 January 2000- Mr. Karl Inderfurth called Mr. Naresh Chandra, Indian Ambassador to the USA, and expressed his deep regret over the incident.

          The announcement that Mr. Bill Clinton would pay a five day visit to India from 20 March 2000 put an end to the political uncertainty that surrounded the trip. However, to the discomfiture of the USA, the announcement was made by a spokesman of the Department of External Affairs only. Mr. A.B. Vajpayee had been maintaining a studied silence all along. The focus- according to the spokesman of the US – would be on developing a new vision for India-US relations that had lagged behind their true potential.

          In continuation of the announcement, the Foreign Secretary of India visited Washington in the first week of February 2000. At this Mr. Bill Clinton –in his over enthusiasm- said that the USA would help India solve the Kashmir dispute. The Prime Minister of India retorted that India would never allow third party intervention in Kashmir. Disturbed by this, Mr. Bill Clinton clarified that the USA would try to solve this problem only if India and Pakistan sought American help.

          In the mean time, the USA urged India to lift the embargo on the import of soda ash necessary for the glass manufacturers in India. India had been allowing its duty free import from the developing countries just to prevent its import from the USA. The USA on its part removed 51 Indian institutions from the entities list.

     Mr. Bill Clinton landed in New Delhi on 19 March 2000 at 8.30 PM. Before starting his journey, he had wanted to use his five day trip to India to rekindle Indo-US relations. Miss. Chelsea, his daughter, and her grand mother accompanied him.

          Though a red-carpet welcome was given, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee did not go to the airport to receive him. Mr. K.R. Narayanan, President of India, also did not go there. 

          It was apparent that a lot of exchanges had taken place between the two countries regarding this protocol problem before the visit of the US President to India. His visit to Bangladesh was to minimize the embarrassment. Thus he visited Bangladesh on 20 March 2000 leaving behind his daughter and mother-in-law in India to play Holi with the Royal family of Jodhpur. His India tour officially started only on 21 March 2000.

          In the past India had been opposing the US policy towards Pakistan. India did not wholeheartedly support the USA in the Iraq issue although India allowed landing rights to the US Air Force planes during the Gulf war.

          Since the five day stay at New York during his trip to the UN was still fresh in his mind, the Prime Minister might have chosen not to go to the airport.    

          Besides, India had been cutting down airport reception ceremonies to a minimal level consistent with the level of reception the Prime Minister of India had been getting in other countries. However, many in India wished that the Prime Minister should have broken the protocol and gone to the airport to welcome the President of the USA.

The people felt that in the above matter, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee did not act in the best interest of the nation. There are three important reasons for this.

1.            The USA supported India during the 1962 Indo-China war.

2.            The USA had sent large quantities of wheat and gee –under PL 480- to prevent starvation deaths in India.

3.            A number of Indians work in the USA and earn the precious foreign exchange.

     However, the statesmanship exhibited by Mr. Bill Clinton in this matter must be commended by one all.

     Mr. Bill Clinton had unveiled his plan to rekindle the ties with India before starting his journey to India. To this, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee asserted that the Indo-US relation should be based on equal terms. The people in India felt that the words of the latter were redundant.

     Though Mr. Vajpayee did not go to the Airport to receive Mr. Bill Clinton, he did see that the deficiency was duly compensated by the meticulous care taken by the Government to please him in all possible ways. Thus the Government banned all public demonstrations in New Delhi although the USA does not usually ban such protests during the visit of Indian Prime Ministers. The Presidential cavalcade was white washed and the beggars were removed.

     Further, India allowed the US security personnel to be in charge of Palam International Airport when the aircraft of the President touched down. Even the schedules of events were drawn up by the officials of the USA.

     Above all, Mr. Jaswant Singh accompanied the daughter of Mr. Bill Clinton and her grandmother during their visit to Jodhpur.

               For Mr. Clinton, it was an exhibition of his sentimental attachment to India on one side and a diplomatic engagement on the other side.

     Mr. Bill Clinton was formally given a red carpet welcome in the forecourt of the Presidential Palace by the President of India, Mr. K.R. Narayanan and the Prime Minister.

     In the evening, the US President and the Prime Minister signed a vision statement to build a dynamic political partnership in the 21st century. This gave a frame work for institutional dialogue in every conceivable area inclusive of summit meetings at regular intervals.

With the above statement, India and the USA became friends for the first time without any apparent inner agenda.

Based on the vision statement, a number of agreements on technology and trade were signed.

A number of US Senators had been demanding improved bilateral relationship with India. There was considerable public pressure also. Therefore, the US representatives of both the Democratic and the Republican parties were associated with the preparatory work of the vision statement. Therefore, the enhancement of the relationship would stay for a long time. But the future alone would prove or disprove this conclusion.

On the next day -22-3-2000- Mr. Clinton addressed a joint sitting of the two Houses. In the Parliament, he was flanked by the Vice President and the Speaker, Mr. Balayogi.    There were flower arrangements all around the dais.

Mr. Bill Clinton spoke for 35 minutes. He covered the entire range of issues and sought friendship with India with mutual respect. The Prime Minister responded by saying that the USA and India were natural allies and finally quoted the American poet, Wall Whitman, “Sail forth-steer for the deeper waters only- For we are bound where mariner has not yet dared to go”.

After the meeting, there was a scramble among the MPs to shake hands with Mr. Bill Clinton. Indians loved him and the USA.

Mr. Bill Clinton presented a golden framed copy of the Charter of Declaration of Independence of the USA – 4 July1776 –to Mr. G.M.C. Balayogi, Speaker.

             In the evening, Mr. Clinton paid a visit to Taj Mahal along with his daughter, Miss. Chelsea.

     At the instance of Mr. Bill Clinton, Mrs. Rachna Katyal, wife of Rupin Katyal who had been killed by the hijackers of the Indian Airline, called on him at Maurya Sheraton hotel. Her in-laws had accompanied her.

     Mr. Clinton visited the multi-specialty Mahavir Hospital in Hyderabad and donated $4 million for patients battling with aids and $1 million for the TB research. He had a meeting with Mr. Chandra Babu Naidu at Hyderabad, He visited Mumbai and Naila village in Rajastan also.

         Before leaving India Mr. Bill Clinton had said that he could not envisage a 21th century without the partnership of India.

         Thus the outstanding features of his visit to India were: 1. The USA did not want to club the nuclear issue - pertaining to the security of India - with other bilateral issues. 2. The USA wanted a longer but sincere relationship with India. 3. The USA did not mention Kashmir - during the visit of Mr. Clinton – as a disputed territory. The USA did not talk about the wishes and the aspirations of the people of Kashmir and 4. The USA considered India as an independent country and that its relationship with India would be for the benefit of both the countries.

              The way in which Mr. A.B. Vajpayee shaped his visit and the events associated with Singh-Tabott talks would go down in history as one of his greatest victories.

               A Mr. Ponnala Lakshmaiah questioned the propriety of the US President meeting Mr. Naidu to take note of issues at a sub-national level.

              However, in the beginning, it appeared that the Prime Minister of India succeeded in conquering the US President. However, in the end it appeared that Mr. Clinton quite unwittingly pocketed not only the Prime Minister but also the Parliamentarians and the mind of the people.

Jaswant Singh – StrobeTabott talks

             In continuation of the talks of Mr. Jaswant Singh and Strobe Tabott, India and the USA conducted a subset of talks on 17 April 2000 to limit the spread of nuclear weapons and associated materials at Washington. The Indian team was led by Mr. Rakesh Sood, Joint Secretary in the External Affairs, and Mr. John Barker, Deputy Assistant Secretary led the US team. On the next day a document setting up the bilateral Financial and Economic Forum was signed at Washington by Mr. Yashwant Sinha, and the US Treasury Secretary Mr. Lawrence Summers.

          Consistent with the new liberal policy towards India, the USA did not oppose the approval of the World Bank loan to India. Accordingly, the World Bank cleared five new development projects involving $ 743.88 million in the last week of April 2000. However, Mr. Karl Inderfurth, US Assistant Secretary of State said that the amount withheld earlier would be released only if India signed the CTBT.

           In May 2000, the USA moved some of its warships towards Sri Lanka without assigning any reason.

Visit of Mr. A.B. Vajpayee to the USA.

         In September 2000, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee paid a visit to the USA. He clubbed his visit with his trip to New York to attend the Millenium Summit of the UN. However, it was not a casual visit or a mere “return visit” of Mr. Bill Clinton. He was very anxious to sustain the momentum that had been achieved by Singh –Tabott talks. It, in fact, appeared that the two countries were successful in creating an institutional Architecture for dialogue between two countries.

     Mr. A.B. Vajpayee addressed the joint session of the US Congress on 14 September 2000. Before his visit, the US Congress had passed a resolution urging the administration to lift all the remaining sanctions against India.

           The Prime Minister entered the Chamber at 10 A.M. He received a standing ovation.

            In his address, the Prime Minister said that there were much in common and no clash of interests between the two countries. He said that India appreciated the concern of the USA and as such India did not want to disturb its non-proliferation efforts. At the same time, he wanted the Congressmen to understand the security concerns of India. He said that India and the USA had engaged in more talks in the last one year than what they had been talking in the preceding fifty years. For this he commended Mr. Bill Clinton for his vision.

    He thanked the Members of the US Congress for displaying a broad bipartisan support for strengthening relations with India. He noted that the warm response received by Mr. Clinton in the Indian Parliament indicated that similar cross party support existed in India as well for deeper engagement with the USA.

         The Prime Minister delivered his address by sitting in chair at the centre of the podium. His words were poetic. His well thought-out words in English were well received by the Congressmen and his sentences were punctuated by applause.

     In this connection, it must be stated that the repeated applause was not a natural one. They clapped without a reasonable cause occasionally. Some people saw the hand of Indian industrialists in this. It was not clear whether they did anything to boost the image of the Prime Minister of India or not.

     Mr. Bill Clinton received Mr. A.B. Vajpayee warmly on the lawns of White House on 14 September 2000. Here, the Prime Minister requested the Indian community in the US to strive for better Indo-US relations. He added that his visit would lead to new hopes and opportunities in the Indo-American ties.

     Mr. Bill Clinton said that it was not democracy alone but the manner in which India had achieved democracy that  inspired America.

              Mr. Al Gore, Vice President, described the Prime Minister as a true leader in both word and deed. The media in India gave great publicity to his words.

     The joint statement reflected the enhanced political and strategic co-operation between India, and the USA.

      On the next day, the Prime Minister dedicated the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial at a function. It was established by the Government of India in front of the Indian High Commissioner Office as authorized by the US Public Law. In an unprecedented move, Mr. Bill Clinton attended the function.

      On 17 September 2000, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee addressed a rally of the Indian Community at Washington. He was variously described by the speakers as “the great and most popular Prime Minister of India, someone who would be remembered as a statesman, reformer, nation builder and visionary and the first Prime Minister to recognize the importance of the Non Resident Indians (NRIs).

     The Prime Minister addressed the rally in Hindi. He said, “Those occupying my chair were used to being praised. Such praise was garnished not only with spices but with all sugar in the world. By talking in Hindi I don’t want to start a language controversy here. In my view, a person must speak in the language in which he is most comfortable. As it is Indians have mutilated English only.

           If a Tamilian comes to the UN, he speaks in Tamil. I am going by the guidelines drawn by the World Hindi Conference of 1970 in Mauritius.

       English is a strange language. Or else why should a Hindi Expression Baad mein aao (come later) be actually translated as “come from behind?” My colleague Mr. Jaswant Singh is known to use uncommon vocabulary is a diction of his own. When he speaks in English it is just unparallel.

     It was during my imprisonment during Emergency, I dreamt of speaking in Hindi at the United Nations. At that time, it was just a dream. I was not sure when I would get out of the jail. But my dream came true. I never thought that I would become the Prime Minister. But an accident occurred and I got the post.

             My Government had been brought down in Parliament by just one vote. In the subsequent elections, the voters decided that if the Government had to be defeated again, it should be by a bigger margin. That is why they gave me more votes and I won the elections.

            Everybody is asking us to talk to Pakistan. But what is to talk about? The weather or about family? After every war you (Pakistan) lost some land. You have been demanding Kashmir in the past and will continue to want it. But you will not get Kashmir.

         My visit to the USA was a highly rewarding programme. Without doubt there is now a repositioning of India in global and regional affairs. In the coming years the new relationship with the US would grow with new content, greater understanding and enhanced co-operation.

        Thank you for listening me patiently. I thank, particularly, the gentleman who wanted me to talk in English.

        On the 18 th September 2000 Mr. Bill Clinton hosted for the Prime Minister the largest ever banquet of his presidency. It was hosted on the lawns of the White House under a special tent equipped to host 700 guests including the leaders of the internet revolution. Only the NATO summit dinner conducted by the US President for 19 Heads of States was larger.

       Raising a toast for the Prime Minister, the President said that they had built the strongest and the most mature partnership that India and America had ever known. He expressed the hope that India and America could change the world. Indian Americans, according to him, ran over 750 companies in the Silicon Valley alone.

       Responding to the toast Mr. A. B. Vajpayee commended Mr. Bill Clinton for transforming the way in which the US and India approached each other.  According to him, the two nations reached out to each other as never before. He claimed that they had created a framework for dialogue and engagement that would stand the test of time.

         Mr. A.B. Vajpayee saluted the Congressmen and Senators, diplomats and officials, scientists and entrepreneurs, thinkers and scholars, academics and artists and the Americans of Indian heritage for their goodwill. He also thanked the US First lady Mrs. Hillary Clinton for taking time off her election campaign to host the banquet.

         After his return, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee said that in spite of the differences, a new chapter had been started in Indo-Us relations. The differences were particularly pronounced in nuclear matters. Since India wanted to act in the supreme national interest, the USA reconciled itself to the Indian position.

          In other matters also, India decided to act in its supreme national interest only. Thus India turned down an American proposal to assume the leadership of an informal caucus of democracies (CD) representing some 100 countries, at the UN on the ground that India does not want to adopt a prescriptive approach in promoting political freedom worldwide. Another reason is that India does not think in terms of leading the CD as it would not get time to analyze the pros and cons of taking such a role.

     The media in India gave great publicity to the visit of Mr. Vajpayee to the USA. In contrast, when the then Prime Minister of India, Mr. H.D. Deve Gowda paid a visit to Bangladesh, the print media in India chose to ignore his visit. The former, later utilized his reputation to invade public assets in bad faith.

Mr. A.B. Vajpayee and the Indo-US relations during Mr. George W. Bush

      Mr. George W. Bush was sworn in as the 43 rd President of the USA on 20 January 2001.