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Domestic politics can’t be reflected in foreign policy: BJP, Congress
New Delhi, Dec 16 (IANS) Emotions and domestic politics cannot be reflected in a country’s foreign policy and that national interest must reign supreme, two senior leaders of the BJP and Congress said.
“I don’t think we should bring our ideology in our foreign policy,” BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav said at a panel discussion at the launch of a book “Open Embrace: India-US Ties in the Age of Modi and Trump” by senior journalist Varghese K. George here on Saturday evening.
Madhav said that relations between India and the US had been steady between the two governments, highlighting the continuation in New Delhi’s policy vis-a-vis Washington.
He said that in the last four-and-a-half years, the NDA government tried to manage India’s relationship with the US, becoming a major defence partner of Washington and being treated at par with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) allies.
“I don’t see any commonality how Trump deals with his voters and how Modi deals with his domestic constituency,” he said. “I don’t think it is right to give any colour to the India-US relationship.
“Foreign policy cannot be made through emotions but should be made keeping national interests in mind.”
Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said that there cannot be abrupt departures in foreign policy with change of governments.
“You cannot allow your domestic politics to be reflected in your foreign policy,” he said.
Stating that the Congress had been formulating the foreign policy since the time of the freedom movement, Sharma said that India made it clear after Independence that it should be respected for what it is.
“You must have the confidence to deal as an equal partner (with major powers).”
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s engagements with the Indian diaspora on his travels abroad, Madhav said that the NDA government was trying to give a new dimension to New Delhi’s foreign policy by including the diaspora.
“Modi wanted to leverage the Indian diaspora and that is why we made the diaspora an important part of our foreign policy,” he said.
In reply to a question on US President Donald Trump trying to bring in fundamental changes in Washington’s foreign policy, Madhav said: “You have to ensure that India is least affected by these policy changes.”
In this connection, he mentioned the US exempting India from Washington’s fresh bans on deals with Russian defence firms and Iranian oil imports.
Asked about Trump’s tough immigration policies, Madhav said New Delhi had ensured that Indians were least affected by these.
Academic and foreign policy analyst C. Rajamohan was of the view that large countries cannot be turned around by individual leaders.
He said that Trump was trying to change three fundamental things in US foreign policy: tough immigration laws, going against globalisation under the slogan of “America First”, avoiding from interfering in the affairs of other countries, like in the case of Afghanistan.
Varghese, who started working on the book before Trump assumed office in 2016 after being posted as the Washington Correspondent of The Hindu daily, said he looked at foreign policy purely from the perspective of domestic politics.
–IANS
ab/mr
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.
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