No single issue in recent years has generated so much anti-India sentiment in Britain as the Rafale deal which many Britons see as a calculated ‘snub' to their country.
Last week, on BBC Question Time, regarded as a good indicator of British public opinion, the question that got the maximum applause was: why should Britain continue to “subsidise” India by “doling out” aid when it could afford to spend “billions of pounds” to buy French fighter jets?
The question was asked in the context of India's decision, announced a day earlier, to select a French firm over its British rival for a multi-billion dollar contract to supply fighter planes to the Indian Air Force, an issue that has generated an unprecedented level of hostility in Britain towards India.
International Development Minister Alan Duncan was shouted down as he struggled to explain that cutting off aid to India “would mean that hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people, will die who otherwise could live.”
“So what?” asked one woman. If India chose to spend its growing wealth on defence hardware rather than looking after its poor why should the “hard-working” British taxpayer be made to pay for it? Another lamented that Britain failed to get the “value for money” it gave to India.
'Ingratitude'
The fury of the Question Time audience typified the dominant British reaction to the India-French deal. No single issue in recent years has generated so much anti-India sentiment in Britain as this deal which many Britons see as a calculated “snub” to their country. In my experience of reporting Britain I never witnessed such a level of public hostility towards India before — not even when Britain has been at the receiving end of Indian ire such as over London's “double standards” on terrorism and its faintly pro-Pakistan line on Kashmir. The anger is palpable, cuts across party lines and — fuelled by the right-wing media — has percolated down to ordinary Britons on the street. Some of the reaction, especially on the Right, has a whiff of the hard-to-die old cultural arrogance: “how dare a country, a former colony to boot, and a recipient of our aid dare snub us?” Expressions like “ingratitude” are being bandied around with shrill calls for scrapping the aid to India.
“Well that's gratitude! We give India £1bn in aid, THEY snub the UK and give France a £13bn jet contract,” read a headline in the Daily Mail leaving little to the imagination.
In the House of Commons
But such talk is not confined to country pubs or the fringe remnants of the Raj but has gone mainstream. In fact, it started with the House of Commons. MPs who hitherto only ever spoke about India in the most glowing terms — great democracy, great people, great country to do business with — sought to portray it as an unreliable partner and a destroyer of British jobs. Prime Minister David Cameron was mocked for wanting an “enhanced” relationship with India. The French victory was not only a failure of British diplomacy but a personal setback to Mr. Cameron in his campaign to establish Britain as a “partner of choice for India.”
Even an unabashed Indophile such as Labour MP and Chair of Labour Friends of India Barry Gardiner cried foul. He saw the deal as a sign of India moving away from Britain arguing that the delay in appointing a new High Commissioner to the U.K. “demonstrates that the Ministry for External Affairs in Delhi no longer see the U.K. as strategically vital to India's interests.”
Two entirely separate issues — India's decision to accept the French bid and the British aid to India — have been conflated to accuse India of “ingratitude” by suggesting that as a recipient of British money, New Delhi had a “moral” obligation to reciprocate and give it the contract. Crudely put, there were no free lunches.
“We give aid to India many times more than what France gives,” argued David Davis, a senior ruling Conservative Party MP, suggesting that therefore logically, the contract should have gone to Britain. The Indian move, he said, would destroy hundreds of British jobs at BAE Systems.
Another Conservative MP Peter Bone said it was a “myth” that “doling out billions of pounds out to countries like this exerts any influence whatsoever on the decisions made by those governments when purchasing equipment.” He wanted the aid money to be used “to help hard-pressed British families.”
The link between aid and the Indian decision was first suggested by the Secretary of State for International Development Andrew Mitchell. Asked to justify aid to India last year, he said its “focus” included “seeking to sell (British-built) Typhoon to India.” Those remarks have come to haunt the Government with Mr. Cameron under pressure to get the bang for his bucks.
India's stance
The fact is that India has been extremely reluctant to take British aid and has made it clear on more than one occasion that it does not want it. As recently as last year, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee told Parliament that “‘we do not require the aid' describing it as ‘peanuts' in terms of India's massive development efforts.”
Not only that, according to The Sunday Telegraph, former Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao, formally proposed an end to British aid from April 1, 2011, because of the “negative publicity of Indian poverty promoted by DfID (the department for international development).” But British ministers insisted that they “had spent political capital” justifying the aid to their electorate and “it would be highly embarrassing if the Indian government then pulled the plug.”
Perhaps it's time for India to go ahead and pull that plug.
Keywords: India-France defence deal, Rafale deal, India-U.K. ties, Britain aid
The fact remains you did select the least capable modern jet fighter available
@venka, completely agree with you there!
When already millions are in poverty, with not even proper access to a proper meal and sanittation, the nation is spending billions for a defense deal. It's very untimely!
I am sorry. I don't understand what UK is fuming about. First of all, our MMRCA program was a highly competitive one and we selected our jets based on its performance.If they brits can't build a jet good enough for our air force, too bad. We rejected Russian jets and considering the fact that they have been such good friends of ours, the British shouldn't unnecessarily raise hue and cry about it. This shows that for UK, the only relation we have to them, is with money. No money, no friendship.
I hope someone in India file an RTI application on who received the aid and how it was spent.
It is saddening to know that British took the deal so personally. The
contract was given to the French as they offered a better price. If
they have given any aid to India then they have taken a million times
more from India. Its time that world knows that India is no one’s
puppet and has evolved as a stronger nation itself.
After all the ballyhoo, one hopes the DfID/UK govt would re-focus their aid programmes on countries and societies that appreciate their helping hand. And one hopes that the UK govt and public do NOT link aid with trade, which demeans the recipient and makes the donor look vulgar.
JUST ONE PLEA: Would the vociferous politicians and Indian citizens make sure that the UK aid objectives (if not the programmes themselves) undertaken in the poorest parts of India, eg Odisha, are not abandoned? Would they launch equivalent programmes and make sure that these hapless citizens, poorest of the poor, do not lose out, as otherwise they are the ones who would have funded India's ego-trip?
After all the ballyhoo, one hopes the DfID/UK govt would re-focus their aid programmes on countries and societies that appreciate their helping hand. And one hopes that the UK govt and public do NOT link aid with trade, which demeans the recipient and makes the donor look vulgar.
JUST ONE PLEA: Would the vociferous politicians and Indian citizens make sure that the UK aid objectives (if not the programmes themselves) undertaken in the poorest parts of India, eg Odisha, are not abandoned? Would they launch equivalent programmes and make sure that these hapless citizens, poorest of the poor, do not lose out, as otherwise they are the ones who would have funded India's ego-trip?
How can a country expect another country to do business solely on the criterion of the quantum of charity that it had doled out in the past - especially in respect of a matter as serious as concerning a nation's security? If the an average British still considers India a former colony to boot, it only shows the pitiable condition of general awareness as prevailing in that land now. It is high time the British woke up. They must come to the point that if they want it they must deserve it. Times have changed; men must change, too. Not doing so will be to our peril.
I find the brickbats at the British, amusing - to say the least. We
have the same ostrich like attitude, when the "self respect" is
challenged. Why is our self respect not challenged, when our
government gets millions of dollars or British pound sterling, in aid?
Why do we not have the courage to say that we can take care of our
poor, our needy and the deserving? Why don't we have the courage to
ask ourselves - what is lacking? Is it resources, or it's utilization? Is it the booming population an impediment to our development? When can we reach a stage where we do not need foreign aid? Till we do that, let us not let our ego, and "self respect" throw stones at the donors. We have no moral right to do so, until we are self sufficient.
In the long run, Rafale would profit INdia, when it comes to upgrading them in the future and maintenance costs. So, its a win-win situation for India and Rafale. And there is no scope for BAE Systems to ink the deal in future - even if Dassault dead does not go through, the negotiations will still continue on either sides until an amicable solution is reached. The cost of the fighter jet from Rafale and Typhoon almost is the same, it looks like Rafale can carry more weapons, and hence its also successful addition to India's Defense.
An excerpt from Yes, Prime Minister:
PM - Do we EVER get the better of the French?
Senior Undersecy - Occasionally
PM - When was the last time we did it?
Senior Undersecy - Battle of Waterloo....
Needless to say that the current UK administration, (and possibly the one before it) is one of the worst globally...foolishly arrogant and royally incompetent. However, one question - if we don't need the UK aid, why do we take it? Don't we have any self-respect?
British ruled India for over 200 years, have we ever questioned them for the wealth they looted from us. Please grow up brits..!! what about the kohinoor diamond on your queen's head...We do not need aid..please re-direct them to Africa or Greece. i think they need it the most than we do. Plus this mentality of Brit ppl is going to lead to further disaster. Instead of criticizing us, you can still think about how your jobs are replaced with Indians, may be that can do good to your economy..!!
The problem is that British ego simply cannot accept a defeat at the hands of France. If the USA had won it, you would not have heard a negative word from Britain. As for aid, this is really a support to British industry and capitalism, as the recipient is tied down to buy the goods from the donor at inflated prices!
I wish someone in India (FYI I am not in India) file an RTI application
to find out who received the aid from UK and how this was spent.
I still think this is all politics and some dumb blondes (no offense...I tried a metaphor only :D) to stir up the discussion in news everywhere.
This is a good article, but it (and the comments) make a fatal
mistake: assuming that the headlines, views of the right-wing
politicians and rants of bigoted fools actually represent British
opinion. Aid from the UK is not tied to trade - it cannot be, legally.
Those complaining may, in part, be doing so to ride a bandwagon and
appeal to the lowest common denominator in the electorate. Goodness
knows it's a trick that Indian politicians also deploy with
devastating impact. It's also true that India has great poverty - more
poor people than all of Sub Saharan Africa. The blind patriotism of
many of the comments here are the words of the literate, pampered
middle classes. Those who might be benefiting from that aid would be
less likely to demand it ceases. Pride is a pretty self-defeating
emotion.
Public opinion in UK seems to imply the business motives of charitable aid. UK was a colonial empire, and India was its most valued possession for 200 years. Colonialism created poverty in India by dumping machine-made goods at rock bottom prices - a standard practice apparently during Mercantilism, Imperialism, Colonialism and Capitalism - to eliminate local economies, and to create subservient classes in a foreign land. It seems that UK would owe India about USD 10 trillion to scratch the surface for the colonialism adventure. Lets discuss that in UK opinion shows.
Every Indian should read 'Late Victorian Holocausts' by Mike Davis to understand
the sheer destruction Britain's economic and social policies had on our wealth.
After reading it, Hitler will seem to be an amateur in carrying out genocides.
We tend to see British through rose tinted glasses, because the middle class
Indians who had the privilege of English education never had to go through
innumerable famines that were either created or exacerbated by the exploitative
nature of British rule. Millions of farmers died of starvation despite good harvests
because they were forced to sell their produce to pay astronomical taxes. Britain
was build on the sweat and blood of its colonies, especially that of Indians but they
still believe we owe them because they were magnanimous in providing us
education and minimal infrastructure. Even by conservative estimate, the economic
cost for India due to colonialism was in excess of current US $ 1 trillion. Their
castles were built on our graves.
Let us see. India declined to accept Jaguar Fighters in 1968. Ten years
later it placed the biggest overseas order for Jaguar. Dassault Rafale
was shot down even in the preliminary stage of screening but, has come
from behind to shoot down all other brands. The smoke from Bofors has
not yet settled down. With 2G scam and CWG Scandal running its legal
course, I am very nervous with Dassault Rafale.
India could have afforded the same money for Typhoon as well if it was
chosen over Rafale. Then the perceptions of British would have been
different I guess.This is no matter of ingratitude and rather of
security and its affordability.Fate of Anglo-Indian relations cannot
be decided or deterred by one aircraft deal.And this is not the last
procurement deal of Indian Defence.Affordability and maintenance costs
were kept in mind while procurement as India and even the World is
facing financial hardships.Some vested interests in Britain are taking
this issue to paint David Cameron in dark shades.For something not
going right in England,David Cameron cant be held accountable to
actions of India and its interests.India is a sovereign state and a
feeling that India was once a colony cannot dominate the present state
of affairs.On the other hand it is quite reasonable question that does
India is needy of an Aid seeing the events hosted by us.
France is to England, what Pakistan is to India. Hence the uproar. The
Empire, on which the Sun never set, has been on a decline since the
second World War. playing second fiddle to the US for the last several
decades. The country still believes its a great empire and hence
distributes alms to erstwhile colonies from the treasures it looted from
there. But given its own state of affairs, it wants the grants to come
back and create jobs back home.
This is utter nonsense. The average British taxpayer knows nothing of this arms deal and neither knows nor cares how much aid we give to India. As to your laughable claim that the QT audience is a good indicator of British public opinion - puhleeeeeeese.
This writer, and everyone who writes "pull the plug on the 1 billion pound aid" from the UK should put their money where their mouth is. OK let us divide evenly among all those who vote for "Pull the Plug" and let them come up with the cash. All these people will just shut up and swallow their pride. Hasan Suroror has not indicated how he is going to pay for the 1 Billion Pounds he so passionately oppoeses. Talk is cheap - no it is free. British People have sent hard earled money and I see no appreciation from the recipients.
Hello, For the record, I am a fairly standard British person (aged 25).
I had absolutely no clue as to the massive animosity directed by the average Indian person towards, not just my country - but frequently the actual individuals (all the way down to the tax paying British worker). For some reason I was of the belief that (almost obligatory political tension aside) we actually had a relatively peaceful relationship. I am totally shocked by the prevalence of utter distaste, and the desire to grind Britain down and globally humiliate us to 'teach us a lesson', or something. I suppose I find it quite sad.
I have very little care about the deal with the fighter jets. If one contract throws up such tension, all that displays is the terrible economic state we find ourselves in - which by this time is no secret. I can only hope the views displayed here are of an abrasive and disproportionately vocal minority set of India - of which we have an equivalent set in my very own England.
If what is said is true, then Britain should be ashamed. HOWEVER, regardless of the aid, WE DO NOT LOOK AFTER OUR OWN POOR TOO WELL. As we rise on the world stage, we have a moral responsibility to address the divide between rich and poor...and we should LEAD in this by acting as a MORAL EXAMPLE. Maybe then, in a few decades, the world can look to us for progress, rather than the other way round. God bless.
The article still fails to address the elephant in the room. If withdrawing £1b of aid would result in the deaths of millions, why is it still suitable to spend 13 times that amount on fighter jets? Not even to mention our ongoing nuclear programme?! I want mother India to help her own before spending on such programmes!
"Politicians are using this to score points against each other. The general public in Britain has no problem with India. We like you guys!" Those reading this article, please listen to the above. Do not base your opinions on those of the general media and politicians. This article is very irresponsible.
Inflammitory journalism aimed to stir up divisions by misrepresenting the opinion of Britons. The Indian government wants to refuse aid simply because it draws attention to their own failings. Britons would prefer to let India go it alone, which they are capable of doing. However, while I understand India's desire to call the shots on the big stage, your purchasing power per person still lies below island nations such as Tonga and Cape Verde; it's negligent to avoid much needed improvements to India's infrastructure while buying state-of-the-art weaponry instead (which governments usually end up using on their own citizens). The Indian government probably loves the fact they can dodge any responsibility while people argue about colonialism though.
It is high time for india to stop recieving aid from the british and other super powers because these powers never give the aid in free but have their own nefarious designs behind every step. India is the fastest growing economy and surely will be able to sustain without these money and infact support the other downtrodden nations..
Admittedly, the British, the French and all the others trying to sell weapons are
going to do everything and anything to get those contracts, including kickbacks.
Let us not lose sight of this little detail in the heat of discussion. The UK had its
scandal involving kickbacks between Saudi Arabia and BAE, whereas the French
had their own version with Pakistan relating to the sale of submarines with a certain young politician called Nicolas Sarkozy acting behind the scenes then. So, the situation is ripe for a second Bofors! Also, do we really need so many new fighter plans? Phasing out our "flying coffins" in the long run may seem like a good idea, but our security focus lies on combating insurgency which cannot be done with airpower. Our record on providing basic amenities such as food, medical care, rule of law etc. to a large chunk of our population ranks alongside that of sub-Saharan Africa. Shiny toys for the military are merely a diversion for a beleaguered government!
Reading all the comments I can feel Indians already talk with so much arrogannce and with huge ego in spite of widespread poverty, malnutrition and you name it, all kinds of social inequality in the country. And these talks inspite of getting hand outs for many years from many rich nations. After all we have just started growing as a nation and already we see so much arrogance. Just imagine how the Indians will behave when and if the country really becomes rich and there was any kind of social equality.
The issue of British citizens wanting to wrap up aid to India is
separate from the issue of military procurement.I don't think it is unreasonable at all for Britain to think twice about giving a nation that has huge amounts of government spending, and a SPACE program to boot, any more money. If India chooses to spend millions upon millions on a space program, then it does so by reducing aid to the starving. It isn't clear why another country should make up for the Indian state's shortfall. The above doesn't even broach the issue of endemic corruption in Indian politics. British taxpayers may be more willing to give aid when Indian politicians finally pass the lokpal bill and stop letting criminal serve terms in congress.
"Last week, on BBC Question Time, regarded as a good indicator of British public opinion..."
You might want to check that - last time I checked the audience on that show contains a cross-section of the British community, not the whole of it - please don't tar a nation with one brush when it comes to political matters
I think the article isn't entirely accurate with regards to public sentiment here in England. Yes, most here don't feel that, as a well-established nation, that India needs aid from us, but we aren't fussed that we didn't get a contract to sell aircraft to you - it's the politicians and the media that's kicking up the fuss.
Politicians are using this to score points against each other. The general public in Britain has no problem with India. We like you guys!
So it is not AID after all! It is alms given expecting servile gratitude in return. At least now we should put a stop to this AID tamasha not only from Britain but from any other country as well. We are rich enough to take care of ourselves sans 2G, S band deal, Mining plunder et alia!
I would advise everyone to look at the BBC program in youtube. Casting personal emotions aside, I must admit that Britons really know how NOT TO RUIN a discussion with juvenille rants like our Burkha Dutts and Sardesai's encourage. When a persons argument is effectivly countered by a better response, people acknowledge that instead of "fighting to the death" and making a fool of oneself. From the discussion, I could gather that the main issue is Britons feel bad sending AID to a country that is developing space programs, hosting Grand Prix and then get's aid to uplift the poor, whereas it should be the Govt's duty to do so. A speaker remarked that "it is great that India is investing in it's future by going for space programs etc. which would help it to independently uplift it's poor." We also have a duty to ensure that all our development work actually improves the life of the underpriviledged, rather than just produce another Billionare.
I believe choosing French planes over British ones was not only a defense related decision but mainly it was a political move to show that Indians have arrived and now we will call the shots on the world stage irrespective of what US or Britain expects from us.
China does that, why shouldn't we? We deserve to have a permanent seat in UN security council...probably we are more deserving than Britain, a declining autocratic power.
Let us be pragmatic.The massive spending on fighter Aircrafts need to be evaluated when one know fully well that these will neither be a "deterrant"nor would "Tilt"the power in India;s favour-in the event of a War-either with Pakisthan or with China.
The "deterrantïs the stockpile of Nuclear weapons and long range missiles. The British Public IS Correct in questioning the rationality of Aid to India when Inda can afford the purchase of this quantum which is
NON PRODUCTIVE FOR THE VALUE SPENT .INDIAN NGOS should stop taking the money from U.K.G.o.I loses Billiions due to inefficiency and writing off Taxes Collectable as well as reluctance in un earthing Black and Fake Money.
Explicitly imperialistic statements like “how dare a country, a former
colony to boot, and a recipient of our aid dare snub us?”, should
bring to light the necessity of pulling the plug on such 'peanut' aid.
It is not out of naive charity that the British or other Western nations dole out this aid to us - they have their own interests to keep, and the current brouhaha in the U.K. over the Rafale deal makes this amply clear. While it cannot be denied that India, with its millions mired in poverty and other issues, needs funds, but it surely is a domestic problem, which we as an emerging nation, should be prepared to handle ourselves.
You are right.WE should pull the plug now.May be present generation of Britons need to be reminded of the deeds of their ancestors vis a vis our ancestors.May be they have forgotten the numbers of Bengalees who were allowed to die of hunger during Bengal famine.Or the second worl war vintage,non functional jeeps which were "sold" through a defence contract.
Thing however to learn from their extreme reactions is to enjoy such reasonable discomfit at loss of such huge order.Did not US recall its envoy?
The Indian Ministers should explain the statement made by the British International Development Minister Alan Duncan that cutting off aid to India “would mean that hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people, will die who otherwise could live.” If this is so, then definitely a shame on India's part. Considering the pillage and plunder wrought on this country by the British for nearly 4 centuries, they have an obligation to pay the people of this country trillions of pounds every year for the next 8 br/>centuries at least. They have left a behind a administrative machinery
that works only if greased, a population that is divided along the
communal lines etc. The "British pittance" can be done away with
immediately. This country has the necessary resources to create wealth
for all the people of this country. Only we need an honest
administration and government of the honest and able leaders. Such a
situation is not possible under the present nonchalant regime.
First of all our government should herself put an end to the aid given by british. The reason is not because we are not humble to those who help us but because the aid they are giving to us is their selfish end (to invest in india and get undue advantagesover various issues of public interest.) Secondly I would like to inform the hardworking tax payers britons that their ancestors have cheated and robbed India upto that level that even the clothes they are wearing right now are ours. Lastly if India is dealing with France and not with Britain in any particular item so why are you jealous?... Manufacture better. We will buy yours also.Better luck next time britons......
Both England and France own India and other countries in South East Asia a lot. No aid will compensate for the free lunches you had in India. Let Britain first be a true democracy (it is still an autocracy), let it payoff the illegal money it garnered from India. Let Sothebeys and Christie be tried for selling stolen goods. First give us back the stolen money. Then we will give back the "Aid" with interest.
British are most self-righteous people one can find of this planet. It seems the main purpose of aid is to enhance the brand "Britain" rather than genuinely helping anyone.
What sort society gives aid to get business? It says something about the moral fiber of a country and its leaders. Which has not changed for last 300 years or so.French planes must be better, their sense of fashion is.
India is now independent. It can choose what it feel better, more reliable. It can not compromise with its security to make happy England.
Someone should tell the British that they no more rule the world and
India is no more their colony. Dear English people, respect the sovereignty, as a country we are free to choose anyone as our vendor, your aid is not going to have any effect on it. If you want to stop aid, stop it. You stopped the aid and snapped all the ties when we did Nuclear testing, but we never asked you to start that aid again, its you who started the trade and aid again. By giving us aid you can not control our decision making ability, if you think you can then please think again..
Such views of the British should not surprise anyone.
I totally agree with the author. Its time India pulls the plug.
When the sentiment in India about the defence deal is tricky to say the least, the reactions from Britain shouldn't come as a surprise. It's quite hard for an average Indian earner to come to terms with the scale of the deal, when severe socio-economic issues have burned our country of late. It's very convenient for the British to feel that the defence deal and the aid are linked, especially when the policies of the government to not cut down the international aids have faced heavy ridicule, but the state the economy of Britain is in, it's a very valid line of thought.
If India can be that audacious to dole out such amount of money for defence and keep ignoring the more pressed sectors like education and health, the British have every right to feel that the aid is better spent in their own country.
Please go ahead and pull that plug off.. We are the main player in NAM and let us prove that we are not influenced by any external factors when it comes to managing the affairs of our country.
(As recently as last year, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee told Parliament that “‘we do not require the aid' describing it as ‘peanuts' in terms of India's massive development efforts.”) Well, it's certainly peanuts compared to the billions stolen by Mukherjee's ilk in the beginningless and endless scams perpetrated by his class. I see a few million people round here who could do with a few of those British peanuts. No prizes for figuring out whose pockets they ended up jingling in.
Why should India compromise its national security for the financial aid form Briton?
British ministers insisted [pleaded?] that they “had spent political capital” justifying the aid to their electorate and “it would be highly embarrassing if the Indian government then pulled the plug.”
So India should accept aid it does not need nor want, to help a confused British Minister save face! Can the UK govt understand that maybe the Indian govt wants to do an equally charitable act by not taking the handout, with a wish that the money be used for the benefit of the equally deserving elderly and disabled citizens in the UK, who are having an unduly harsh time! As for the wisdom and diplomacy in managing UK govt affairs - no comment.
For all the sufering British put through India for over two centuries, the subsidies and aids amount to a trifle, actually nothing. Obviously, British can't bear the fact that the French came out on top. What colonial mentality! No wonder UK is still struggling to recover from recession!
Hummm, let us calculate.The British came for trade to India in 16th century. Over 400 years they plundered the RICHEST nation on earth. Murdered thousands, imprisoned innocent civilians, divided the country, and left behind a legacy of currupt administration. If we start calculating, the British citizens will owe TRILLIONS EVERY YEAR plus the interest! Now let us add the cost of pain and suffering. The British citizens should look in the mirror, before they complain.
India one of the fastest growing economies in the world, Dictated to
by a Treacherous Lecherous divide by rule Third rate former colonial
power who deliberately divided India between Muslim and Hindu Poor and
Rich to foster its own agenda and Economic well being at the expense
of a Country which it has done so much harm to over the centuries.
India since Independence has not suffered a Famine under the Kings and
Queens of England Millions of Indians Hindu Muslim Christian died
under there Brutal rule. India today is a Free Independent Nation who
today is making a big impact on the World by the way can India please
have the KOH I NOOR back it does belong to this Great Nation your
majesty.
Good go.India should firmly stand by its decision,this is quite ridiculous on part of Britain to behave in such a foolish manner.
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