Blind belief in Western institutions is colonialism’s unfortunate legacy to India

By refusing to take sides in the war and joining in the economic sanctions against Russia, India made a smart strategic decision. (Illustration by Suneesh K)

Last month, as Indian prime minister Narendra Modi left for a state visit to France, the European Parliament (EP) passed a resolution calling on the Indian government to act “promptly” to halt the violence in Manipur and protect religious minorities. Predictably, the Indian government reacted angrily, terming the EU’s action “unacceptable”.

It is an all too familiar story. A new report is issued by a Western institution criticizing some aspects of India's polity or economy. Instantly a howl of protest follows from the government and other public figures. Elaborate efforts are made to trash the report and its issuing agency. Meanwhile, the rest of the world barely takes any notice. Notice the consternation when Freedom House gave India only a “Partly Free” rating in its annual survey of countries, clubbing it with others like Bolivia, Côte D’Ivoire and El Salvador while handing out a “Free” tag to Mauritius, a country that another think tank, V-Dem Institute, which aims to measure the quality of democracy, placed among its “top 10 autocratising countries” in its 2021 rankings. Most Indians who are otherwise completely oblivious to the many blows to the country’s democratic framework over the years, suddenly sat up in alarm.

It's a pattern of behaviour that we have seen repeatedly over the last 75 years since Independence. Sure, public opinion matters and what the world has to say is relevant to all countries. But a traumatic colonial history, coupled with the extraordinary amplification capabilities of Western voices, has ensured that we bristle and celebrate far more when a media outlet or a think tank based in the West says something about us.

Nor is it a recent phenomenon. Imperious as she was, Indira Gandhi as prime minister was extremely concerned about what the foreign press would have to say about the declaration of Emergency in the country. The present government and the opposition too has shown that it is extremely sensitive to what the West says and does.

The bias extends to other areas like business as well. Easily the most successful cross-border joint venture in India has been the one between Maruti and Japanese company Suzuki. It isn't just an India success story, though with a 40 percent share in a fiercely competitive car market, it is an excellent example of that too. But it is also proof of how such an alliance can be mutually rewarding. Not only is Maruti India's top car maker for the last 40 years, it has also been Suzuki's best deal, with the India business now accounting for 37 percent of the Japanese company's global sales. And yet we are much more bothered about Tesla's India plans than about what Hyundai or a BYD, which incidentally is now the world’s largest manufacturer of electric vehicles, can bring to the table.

What makes this obsession with the West particularly galling is the complete lack of evidence to suggest that institutions, companies or countries based in that geographical region are any more credible and trustworthy than others, including those in India. Many of the best known ones have lied, twisted facts, presented half-truths, used dubious and biased research in support of their objectives.

In the early months of the Ukraine war, we were led to believe that the US and its Nato allies were coming to the aid of the heroic Ukrainians in their battle against the forces unleashed by Vladimir Putin, the Russian dictator. We were also assured that the Ukrainian army was making huge gains and it was only a matter of time before the demoralized and ill-prepared Russian army would be pushed back from the areas it had occupied. We now know that each of these assertions was wrong. As professor John J. Mearsheimer writes in his substack piece The Darkness Ahead: Where The Ukraine War Is Headed, “I believe Russia will win the war, which means it will end up conquering and annexing substantial Ukrainian territory, leaving Ukraine as a dysfunctional rump state.”

Indeed, many of us questioned India's lack of support for the Ukrainian cause pointing to our continuing trade dealings with Russia, including buying oil from that country. It is clear now that the ongoing conflict is a part of the cold war between the US and its Nato allies on the one hand and Russia on the other. By refusing to take sides and join the economic sanctions, India made a smart strategic decision. Yet, many Indians believe till date that India should have joined the embargo against Russia.

It is what comes of believing that the West knows best. Call it colonialism’s legacy.