Anxiety, hope in India over new US prez

The change of guard in Washington has sent the world into a tizzy. But in India, there is anxiety about Barack Obama, especially his talk of change.

India has always been uncomfortable with intrusive Democratic presidents in the White House. Bill Clinton’s first term was marked by acrimony on human rights abuse in Kashmir and India’s nuclear plans.

Today there is fear that Obama will insist on India signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Pranab Mukherjee has already said New Delhi will not oblige.

Dyed in the wool politicians and bureaucrats in India continue to dread the K word. The fact that Obama has made it plain that the focus of his administration will not be so much Iraq as the Afghanistan-Pakistan swathe, which New Delhi has long regarded as the fountainhead of international terror, has not brought joy to South Block, simply because Kashmir also comes into the picture.

Despite some anxiety about the new US president’s likely strategy for the region, many in South Block believe that there is a convergence of interests between the world’s oldest democracy and the most populous one.

India’s huge market potential, and the fact that there are billions of dollars worth of defence equipment and nuclear business to be had from India, will be pivotal factors in shaping ties at a time when the US is reeling from recession.

“We have to wait and see what happens. Let us not jump to conclusions,’’ strategic analyst K Subrahmanyam told DNA. “There is nothing to worry about Kashmir. The recent elections in the state is a major selling point and the new chief minister can only strengthen the forces of democracy,’’ said Subrahmanyam.