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Trump’s fanboys in BJP are now proved wrong. Lesson here is to never personalise diplomacy

The only thing our deeply divided world can agree on is that Trump is a menace. Indians who once sang his praises have now turned viciously against him.

It’s hard to believe now, but US President Donald Trump was once the BJP’s pin-up boy. Long before he even won his first term, BJP leaders were throwing parties to celebrate his birthday. The BJP’s online army used social media to sing his praises and abuse Hillary Clinton (who, as Secretary of State, had actually warned Pakistan against breeding terrorists), accusing her of being hostile to India and in the grip of Muslim extremists.

When you look at the way things have turned out, with the global economy in shambles, thousands of innocent civilians dead, and India struggling to maintain its rate of growth because of Trump’s unnecessary war, it’s hard to believe that these guys were ever gullible enough to become Trump fanboys. But yes, they were.

And when Trump stood for another term, they were at it again. They adopted the idiom of the lunatic fringe of the MAGA Right and railed against ‘libtards’ while making common cause with people who actually had contempt for them, their culture and the colour of their skin.

Why would any sensible Indian—let alone political leaders—blindly identify with people like the MAGA extremists? Why would they idolise a man like Trump? Well, they had a reason. Just as Trump claimed he wanted to Make America Great Again, these guys loved him........

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