“Rubio’s India Visit Shows America Has Lost Indian Street”, Swarajya, May 26, 2026
“This is perhaps the first time, in recent memory at least, that the official trip of the Secretary of State of the United States to India was met with indifference by Indian Street. Indian Street is different from the Indian establishment, and it is important to know the difference between the two. The dissonance between Indian Street and the Indian establishment on the United States has been completely overlooked by the commentariat, even though this dissonance, now quite visible, is critical to understanding the relationship status between the two nations.
The current generation of influencers and commentators finds it hard to believe, but India and the United States, for the most part of the last 75 years, have had a frosty relationship. However, the people-to-people relationship has always been warm and friendly. Indian Street has admiringly looked up to America’s economic success and appreciated the free markets, meritocracy and rule of law that America offers her citizens. Even when the Cold War was raging and America’s tilt towards Pakistan had caused many a heartburn in India, Indian Street still continued its quiet admiration for America.
There is an emotional attachment to the erstwhile USSR and now Russia, which comes with gratitude for standing with India at all times. Yet the average Indian has always wanted India to be more like the USA and never like the USSR. Indira Gandhi sparred with Nixon, and Clinton sanctioned India, yet the admiration of Indians for ‘American system of governance’ never faded away…….”
Read full article at swarajyamag.com
