Hillary's visit: A new dawn between US and India

I don't think that Hillary's tribute to the victims and martyrs of 26/11 is anything more than a diplomatic gesture. If the US really felt for us, then they should stop supporting Pakistan. The US has given Pakistan millions of dollars in the name of economic aid when the whole world knows that that money is used by the military and anti-social
elements. It is time that they should back India totally by declaring Pakistan a terrorist state.”
—Shirish Parkar,MNS spokesperson

Such visits have long-term impact
I see Hillary Clinton's visit to India as a positive sign for the relationship between the two country. The essential aim of her visit is intended at strengthening the political and economic relations.
Basically there are three-four aspects related to Hillary Clinton's visiting India. To begin with, Clinton has reaffirmed America's support in the fight against terrorism. So no matter what, we should be united in our fight against any kind of terrorist activities. Even after Barack Obama coming to power, many positive steps have been taken towards harmonising various ethnic groups. One of these is that he has reached out to Muslims across the world. This is important for us too, as there are many Muslims residing in India as well.
India can assure the US of being committed to building a fair and democratic process that does not believe in extremism.
However, issues like terrorism are not going to be resolved by a single visit of any political leader. Such visits have long term significance. And Hillary Clinton visiting India is one step in improvising our relationship with the US. Also India is surrounded by unstable neighbours, so having global reach and good rapport is necessary to reach to the world.
–Surendra Srivastava, founder - Maharashtra chapter & volunteer - Lok Satta Aandolan

Hillary’s post-26/11  gesture is symbolic
Hillary Clinton's tribute to the victims of last year's terror attacks is very symbolic. Even the US has faced terrorism (9/11) and many think that her choosing to stay at Taj hotel itself symbolises their emotions towards us.
She said that this visit will take relationships between the US and India to another level. New era of corporation will be opened between the two nations. We have a lot of similarities, for example, both the countries faced issues related to diversity in population. In the backdrop of the pact signed between the countries, the relationship is going to be more than just diplomatic. We respect each other and are willing to move ahead of the clichéd association, be it political or economical.
Her visit will also tell us how the US government is going to support Indians living there, keeping recession and their policies in mind. Her meeting with the industrialists is good for India and its economy.
As for the timing of her visit, we shouldn't focus on that because even if she or any other US diplomat had come right after the terror attacks, nothing could have been done as the damage had already taken place. We, as a country, have to learn to fight our own battles. The US has made right noises against terrorism and we would have liked if they had taken a stronger stand against Pakistan but we should remember that US too has diplomatic interests in mind.                
–Gayathri Narayan, political commentator

I personally think that Hillary Clinton's visit to India was a bit delayed. As soon as she was chosen the US secretary of state, she should have visited India. And as usual, her trip to India has become a big media circus. What’s really important is what she is actually doing to tackle terrorism? We have heard her say that India and the US are together in the fight against terrorism, but we want to see it happen. So we need to wait and watch whether her visit would be able to strengthen the political and economic relations between the two countries.
Hardik Rajgor, student

As this is Hillary’s first visit to Mumbai after the 26/11 attack, she had to show some gesture towards the victims. But this does not come as a surprise since any other international political figure would also done the same. I personally appreciate her gesture to stay in the terror-hit Taj Hotel. It shows that she is is concerned about India.
Abhijit Desai, student

On her visit to Mumbai she chose to stay at Hotel Taj and show solidarity for the victims of the terror attacks. This shows that she is concerned about India. There are many other politicians who have visited the site of terror attack before. But we cannot jump on to any conclusion as we don't know the reason behind her visit. I just hope that her visit turns out to be a success.
Bipin Agarwal, student

This is not the first time that the US has expressed its condolences after the 26/11 attacks. Hillary's visits and her tribute to the victims of terror attacks shows that the US is concerned. But the damage has already been done. I believe that if they would have taken some strict actions after 9/11, then probably there would have been no attack in Mumbai. They are still lenient towards Pakistan when they should have declared it a terrorist state.
Sidharth Mishra, BPO executive

Barack Obama has been doing a good job addressing terrorism originating from Pakistan. Now he should smoke them out completely, if he truly wants terrorism to end. Hillary has come on his behalf and the US government. So, rather than being diplomatic, she should address the real issues. Condemning the attacks without supporting us against the culprits is nothing more than a political plan to keep India happy.
Joseph Azavedo, chartered accountant