"The Great Surrender: Modi's Spineless Diplomacy and Trump's War on Indian Dignity"

After Donald Trump's return to power in the United States, racial policies are being executed at an unprecedented pace. Trump, a man who wears his bigotry like a badge of honour, has intensified his war against immigrants. His administration has now unleashed a mass deportation drive, targeting over fifteen thousand Indians. Experts predict that nearly 750,000 Indians could be expelled in the coming months as part of his grand plan to throw out two million immigrants.  

And how is this expulsion happening? One can compare it with cruelty recorded in history's darkest chapters. Indians and other immigrants are being bound in chains, their wrists and ankles shackled like criminals. They are loaded onto suffocating military aircraft and denied even the most basic human dignity. No proper seats, no toilets, no relief from the unbearable heat—this is how Trump's America is throwing out people who lived and worked there for decades.  

Why use military planes instead of passenger flights? Why chain human beings like animals? The answer is clear: this is not deportation but deliberate humiliation. This forceful deportation is Trump's America sending a message—immigrants are enemies, and they will be treated as such. This is a display of power meant to break spirits, crush dignity, and erase humanity.  

And where is India in all this? Nowhere. The Modi government, which roars in election rallies, whimpers like a beaten dog when its own people are dragged out of America in chains. Not a word of condemnation. Not a demand for dignity. Not a single act of resistance.  

Yes, countries have the right to deport illegal immigrants. But civilized nations do it with basic respect. Even Mexico and Colombia—countries with far less global influence—demand humane treatment for their citizens. But Modi, the so-called Vishwaguru, the self-declared protector of Indian pride, has done nothing.  

This is not the first time the U.S. has deported illegal immigrants. It happened under Obama, too. But never before were immigrants treated as terrorists, packed into military aircraft like prisoners of war. What changed? Trump's open embrace of racism. And Modi's silent approval of it.  

But why are so many Indians being forced to leave their homeland in the first place? Because this government has utterly failed to create a nation where young people see a bright future. The brightest minds of this country are fleeing, not because they don't love India, but because India under Modi has become unlivable. Universities are collapsing, jobs are vanishing, and intolerance is rising.  

The government that promised to create 20 million jobs a year cannot fill its existing vacancies. Railway jobs remain unfilled, public sector opportunities are shrinking, and when people demand answers, the response is nothing but mockery: "Didn't we give you Mudra loans?" Where is the data proving that these loans have generated employment? Nowhere. The same government that destroyed small businesses with demonetization and crushed livelihoods with a hasty GST rollout now dares to talk about economic growth.  

A nation's true strength lies in its people, the unity of its society, and the opportunity it provides. But under Modi, India has become a battleground of hate. Riots are no longer spontaneous; they are engineered. Communal violence is no longer incidental; it is orchestrated. How long can any rational, peace-loving citizen endure this poisonous atmosphere? When leaders thrive on division instead of governance, is it any wonder that the younger generation wants out?  

And yet, when Trump chains Indians like criminals, when he strips them of dignity, what does Modi do? He looks away. The U.S. Embassy in Delhi has already stated that these deportations will continue. More military planes will land, more Indians will be dragged back in humiliation, and Modi will remain mute. Because the truth is, Modi cannot stand up to Trump. He will never stand up to Trump.  

How could he? His ideological masters, the RSS, are in love with Trump's policies. Their mouthpiece, Kesari, openly praises Trump's anti-immigration stance. The RSS celebrates Trump's belief that "being born here does not automatically make you a citizen." They admire his crusade against "Arab religious imperialism," utterly blind to the fact that this same ideology is now being used to crush Indians. When a government worships Trump's hate-driven politics, how can it ever confront him?  

Even the RSS admits that America engages with India purely for its economic benefit. Yet, while an RSS publication recognizes this, Modi does not. Where smaller nations stand up to American arrogance, India cowers. And the so-called diplomatic genius S. Jaishankar? The man the right-wing hails as a master of diplomacy? He is nothing but a polished bureaucrat who delivers empty words. Where is this great diplomacy when Indians are being deported in chains?  

Outside the U.S., no country has a bigger Trump fanbase than India. In fact, only Israel's far-right rivals Modi's unquestioning loyalty to Trump. What binds them together? A shared hatred of Muslims. Netanyahu's bombs rain down on Palestinian homes, Trump justifies the bloodshed, and Modi remains silent.  

For those still cheering for Trump, the time for delusion is over. Trump does not care about India. Modi himself once said that international politics is not about friendships but interests. Yet, when it comes to the U.S., Modi abandons even this basic realism. He bows, obeys, and submits; the difference is stark here. Manmohan Singh was never a Vishwaguru. He never boasted of a 56-inch chest. He never made empty promises of world leadership. But when India's dignity was challenged, he ensured the world knew—we are Indians, and we will not be humiliated.  

In 2013, when India's Deputy Consul General Devyani Khobragade was arrested and strip-searched in the U.S., Manmohan Singh's government struck back immediately. India withdrew all special privileges given to U.S. diplomats. They were made to feel the consequences of disrespecting an Indian official. The U.S. was forced to back down, forced to acknowledge that India is not a nation to be insulted.  

And today? Narendra Modi, the man who chants slogans of nationalism at every rally, stood on American soil and shamelessly campaigned for Trump, shouting: "Ab ki baar, Trump sarkar." No Prime Minister in India's history has ever stooped to such humiliation.  

A government's fundamental duty is to protect the dignity of its people. But look at Italy—when their marines were accused of killing Indian fishermen, their government fought for them relentlessly. And India? When its citizens are being shackled and deported like criminals, the Modi government doesn't even dare to speak.  

Now imagine this: if Americans were illegally staying in India, would Modi ever deport them in the same way? Would he ever put them in military planes, bound in chains? Never. Because this government has surrendered India's dignity at the feet of American arrogance.  

This is not just a policy failure. This is a betrayal of India itself. This government has abandoned its own people. It has crushed their future, silenced their voices, and now, it refuses to protect their dignity abroad.  

But no matter how much they try to bury the truth, history has already judged them. And as the great Dr. B.R. Ambedkar once said:  

"A great man is different from an eminent one in that he is ready to be the servant of the society."  

And that is where Modi fails. He does not serve the people. He serves power. And that will be his ultimate downfall.

✍️ Athul Krishna

#Thank you Ashiq sir for editing this article