Trump To Visit India: Has He Found An Ally In Prime Minister Modi?
Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing bad about a president deciding to pay a courtesy visit to another president. It is nice and it promotes peace among countries which will in turn lead to global peace. There is no problem with two presidents getting chummy with each other and taking out time to visit each other’s territories but let’s all remember that there is an election coming up, while we are all saying #HowdyModi and #NamasteTrump.
There are reportedly 2.4 million American Indians living in America and a whole lot of them can vote. Modi however, is not much loved by his people and is known by some as a prime minister who has continually abused his power and committed crimes against humanity. His visit to NewYork where he and Trump addressed over 10,000 people was nice but have we seen the state of India behind the scenes?
Trump’s visit to India, according to him, has been on his mind for a while and he is excited to visit his “friend”. He also said that he is looking forward to the “event” which promises to be the “biggest event to ever happen in India”. He says that he is going to spend just one night in India after which he will go to North Carolina for a Trump rally. Very exciting don’t you think?
So I did a little digging. I have been seeing a lot of horrible pictures of the state of India but I wanted to be sure about the real situation. The truth is, while the prime minister makes courtesy calls, the people of India continue to inhale the filth in their land and water that no one is talking about or trying to tackle. India has so many problems but let us just look at a few basic ones.
Some Of The Problems In India
Image source: Unsplash
- Poor Nutrition and High Child Mortality Rates
In India, millions of children die daily due to poor nutrition of their mothers during pregnancy, causing low birth weight and in most cases, the age of the mothers who are also children themselves contribute to this problem. The poverty of the people prevents them from having the nutritious and healthy meals they need for themselves and their young ones.
Although the poverty in India is on the decline, there is not enough provision by the government to take care of these less privileged people. The poor hygiene filthy living conditions of people who live in slums also contribute to the high mortality rate of infants who die from diseases like Cholera and Pneumonia.
Image source: Unsplash
- Child Labour and Lack Of Education
The poverty in India leads to child labor as children are made to work to augment the family income. Working at menial jobs prevents these children from being able to concentrate on their studies. It also reduces their play time as they are forced to learn how to fend for themselves and survive on the streets.
Some of these children do not go to school at all and instead work at factories, private homes and as sex workers.
Image source: Unsplash
- Oppression Of The Girl Child and Early Marriages
If education and food is hard for the average boy child in India, it is even harder for the girls. These girls are treated as second class citizens by the males in their lives and are married out while they are yet children in hopes that they would live better lives. Many of these girls die in childbirth and grow up to be as poor and miserable as their mothers.
Image source: Unsplash
Trump to Visit India: Preparations Made For Trump’s Visit
Ahead of Trump’s visit, Prime Minister Modi has ordered a wall to be erected to hide the slums from Trump’s sensitive eyes. People have been thrown out of their homes and their means of livelihoods destroyed so India can be given a nice makeover. Lots of fresh water has been poured into the filthy waters to cover the stench and places like Taj Mahal are being given a face lift.
Image source: Unsplash
Conclusion
It is difficult not to see the similarities between these two: Trump and Modi and a closer look will show you valid reasons why they are friends and get on so well with each other. Trump promises to bring talks of religious freedom to India. There is this proverb, who asks a toad for a stool when you can clearly see he himself is squatting?. Trump’s attempt to foster a healthy environment for peace between America and India is admirable, motives aside.
We wish him and his wife a safe journey to India with the hope that on landing, he gets his wish of 10 million people waiting to welcome him. We however admonish Indians and Americans alike to enjoy the festivities without losing sight of the things that matter. Parties are nice but sins like corruption and crimes against humanity are so much more important. Enjoy yourselves everyone! #NamasteTrump!
Disclaimer: This is not to slight anyone but simply the views of a 4th year student. Thank you
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