Attacks can hurt Delhi’s diplomatic initiatives
The string of attacks on African nationals in Delhi and elsewhere in the country has exposed several faultlines in terms of social prejudices and the failure to maintain law and order. Now, as the number of such attacks keeps growing, and tensions between locals and African nationals rise, the issue has become a diplomatic challenge. Unless tackled effectively, it will dampen the NDA Government's recent efforts to rejuvenate India's ties with African countries. In September last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted more 50 African leaders in Delhi for the third India-Africa Forum Summit it was India's biggest diplomatic outreach in decades and indicative of a new chapter in India-Africa ties. Currently, Vice President Hamid Ansari is on a state visit to Morocco in what is supposed to be the first of many high-level political engagements to come. However, such efforts will bear fewer fruits if African nationals in India are constantly targeted. last week, India narrowly avoided a major diplomatic embarrassment after the Ministry of External Affairs reassured African envoys that the attacks were being taken seriously and that justice would be served; the diplomats had threatened to boycott the prestigious Africa Day celebration. This was followed by a meeting between African student representatives and Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar at South Block on Monday. The students were planning a demonstration at Jantar Mantar but eventually called off the protest march after the Government assured them that their concerns had been taken into account. As of now, the African community in India is on a wait-and-watch policy. Its leaders have received multiple assurances and words of support from the Government, including from President Pranab Mukherjee who highlighted the longstanding ties between India and the African continent, and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj who has condemned the violence in no uncertain terms. The African community is now waiting to see action on the ground. The arrest of five individuals and the detention of five others for the attacks on seven Africans in three separate incidents in Delhi's Rajpur Khurd village is a step in the right direction. The process must reach its logical conclusion.
Remember that Africans in India are just one side of the diplomatic coin; on the other side is the sizeable contingent of persons of Indian origin as well as Indian citizens who live across continental Africa. When Africans come under attack here, the Indian diaspora has to face the backlash there. If this trend is allowed to escalate, it will complicate the already delicate race relations between Indians and Africans, and threaten the goodwill that India enjoys in large parts of Africa. Today, Indians here may not have much interaction with Africans but many Africans associate India with teachers and educators, with good food and great music. They look to India for better work and study opportunities, and consider India to be a positive force. Nurtured over centuries, this is India's soft power in Africa — and to a certain extent, India’s only advantage against other emerging powers like China, which are also looking to secure their share in the booming African market. India cannot afford to lose this edge.