With the complexities of India’s coalition politics expected to continue, the US intelligence community is clueless on which way the next Government in New Delhi will go in respect of legislation and policy measures relating to American interests.
“Any future Government installed after the 2014 election will probably have a positive view of the US, but future legislation or policy changes that are consistent with US interests is not assured,” US Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told a Congressional panel on Wednesday.
In the course of a testimony before the Senate Committee on Intelligence, Clapper said: “In this election year in particular, coalition politics and institutional challenges will remain the primary drivers of India’s economic and foreign policy decision making.”
Noting that no party has won a clear mandate in elections to the lok Sabha since 1984, Clapper said: “We judge that this trend will continue with the 2014 election, and the proliferation of political parties will further complicate political consensus building.”