Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Letter to Obama on Devyani Khobragade

Dear Obama:
We Indians are completely upset with what you did to Devyani Khobragade.
How can you insult Indians like this?
We Indians are the oldest civilization – while we were chanting sophisticated Vedas in the world’s most computer-friendly language called Sanskrit sitting under banyan trees, your people were nomads and cave-dwellers.
May be you don’t realize this but Indians do not subscribe to the alien philosophy of ‘rule of law’, which is nothing but a western and artificial construct imposed onto us coercively by your British brothers.
We Indians follow an ancient concept called, ‘rule of the selected few’. And those selected few could be the privileged, the majority, and sometimes just freaking beautiful.
Why else do you think Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif are top actresses in India though they cannot act shit? Why else do you think Rekha is a Member of Parliament though she is thoroughly bored and disinterested?

Can’t you see? Are you blind?
Devyani Khobragade is cute. You cannot deny this.
Please release her immediately. And Apologize - in the accepted Indian obsequious ways – fold your hands, prostrate on the ground, and roll over.
Otherwise we will wage war on US. BTW, our new Aircraft Carrier is being built – it should be ready by 2170.

Thank you.
The Great Indian.

18 comments:

  1. Sujai,

    One has to look at the facts of the case.
    Sangita has an official passport. It means she is technically an employee of the Govt of India, posted to USA as a maid.
    Even if there is a violation of visa norms, the culprit would be the govt and not a consular officer who filed for the visa.

    The fact that she had absconded, her passport was revoked and the US Govt asked to deport her before the arrest should have been taken into consideration by the NY Attorney. Also to be taken into account is that unrelated to this, there is already an arrest warrant against Sangita by a Delhi metropolitan court reg a case of extortion and cheating. Plus the case filed for this issue by the Govt of India in the Delhi High court.
    If one reads the online posts by Shiela Murthy and other immigration lawyers, any violation of wages does not lead to an arrest directly. In the thousands of cases involving H1s, the procedure has been different. The sponsoring company is sent a notice. The company is given a chance to rectify and make up for the unpaid wages.
    In this case it is quite apparent that the US Attorney went overboard.

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  2. Dear Sujai , only you can come up with this response !!!!!! , hilarious though true ,
    Not sure how american state dept will respond to this attack of india on US In this devyani case , i heard her father speaking to times now and he said he is happy with india's response but wants more action from indian government !!!,
    at best she could be released on bail and sent home for her visa fraud and nothing more . None seems to worry about her fraudulant act !!! , guess hand cuffing is normal ,

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  3. Maybe Indians are not so law abiding, but please do not think Americans are role models in this regard. American consular staff even get away with homicide, such as what happened in Pakistan two years ago. And an American diplomat in Kenya fled the country after causing a fatal crash.

    And if Devyani underpaid her maid, how much are the American consular staff paying their domestic help in other countries? My guess it, it is not even a fraction of the amount Devyani was paying.

    Whatever be the case against her, anyone with an ounce of humanity would feel revulsed at the way in which she was treated. This is not excusable any way you look at it.

    We get outraged if a Dalit mother were sexually abused in India in a high handed manner, but how come this is ok in the US, when Devyani, a Dalit, and a mother of a young daughter, is led away in handcuffs to be strip searched for no reason, except as a form of harrassment.

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  4. The uproar has nothing to do with her alleged crime. It is about the way they treated her. She is a diplomat and represents India and her sovereignty. The Vienna convention clearly says that diplomats should be given due courtesy. Sujai I doubt if you really don't consider strip searching a diplomat, no less for a visa fraud an act of disgrace. Moreover, can't you realise the hypocrisy that US is known for. They could invoke diplomatic immunity for Raymond Davis, a CIA killer when his crime was far more grave. 2 murders. His diplomatic status at the time of arrest said consular official. Why don't they follow the same procedure of arrest, strip search for diplomats of Russia. They consider India a pushover just like Pakistan. Moreover, Salman khurshid, on the floor of the house accused US of immigration fraud by giving the maid PR in the US.
    -THK

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  5. Sujai , i 'm surprised at your criticism of Indians. Devyani had to go through cavity search and DNA swab. Can the US or you explain why? Is she suspected of drug-dealing or murder? If this kind of behavior is justified in name of rules , then Guantanamo or Abu Ghraib is perfectly justified in thename of national security, if we extend the logic. Indians are protesting HOW she was treated, we are not claiming she is not-guilty.If you talk of rule of law, the Yashwant Sinha is absolutely right in claiming all US gays and lesbians should be arrested, now that Indian Supreme Court has said that homosexuality is illegal. For once be a man and support your country.

    UNITED INDIAN

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  6. Previously US hit Indian IT companies with HEAVY fines on all frauds committed on immigration. Should have hit the Indian Consulate with a fine rather than targeting an diplomatic dignitary. Seems this is a loosey goosey area. India will have to negotiate labor rates before granting domestic help overseas to diplomats.

    Religious workers in the US are also low paid individuals. The minimum wage offered in the state of NY is $7.25/hr. How does that tally with what Susan Richards was offered in NY ($9.75/hr)? Seems like there is an error from every side. The US, Indian consulate.

    Indian consulates will have to revisit the domestic helpers rate charts. US embassies in India will have to go by those new chartered rates in future. Remember! Indian domestic helpers in US are also offered shelter, food (most likely). US labor doesn't get offered those at the rate of $9.75/hr. Those offerings can be factored into what Susan Richards was offered.

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  7. Sir, I hope you are aware of Raymond Davis, a CIA contractor (not a diplomat) who killed two Pakistanis in Pakistan. The great USA claimed "diplomatic" immunity, pressurized and obtained his release. So much for respect of law. There are dozens of incidents of US diplomats violating local laws and going scot free only because US is a super power.

    All said and done, Indians and Indian government are complaining about the bad treatment and not the legal case.

    US citizens and US returned Indians may be habituated to the barbaric and uncivilized procedures of US. But I do not see any rational in the procedures. For example, what if someone conceals contraband goods inside the body and not inside the cavities. I do not think the US Police is doing a MRI scan (since X Ray may not reveal certain details) of the suspects.

    India does not have barbaric procedures such as strip search and cavity search. But, I do hope that in the future India follow US procedures in the case of US diplomats.

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  8. //we were chanting sophisticated Vedas in the world’s most computer-friendly language called Sanskrit sitting //
    ---- Must read nasa and Sanskrit hoax --- http://mushafiqsultan.com/nasa-and-sanskrit-hoax/

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  9. Dear AnonymousDecember 19, 2013 11:11 PM,

    I would say that providing TVs and home like comforts indian jails for the white collar criminals and politicians who are accused of looting crores of public money is more barbaric and uncivilized. The moment we say that law should work differently for different individiuals, we went back to stone age. Calling a society which treats everyone alike barbaric shows how inferior we are.

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  10. should america president give appreciate more righteous. and see another civil country is equal. greatings from indonesia

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  11. Sujai, nonsensical and frivolous response. I was hoping that after all these years, you would have tempered your views after gaining a better perspective of things. I see that you are still the same old holier-than-thou white-worshiper.

    Let us understand one thing here. She may have underpaid the maid as per US law, but the maid was NOT "exploited". Americans (and Indians like you) cannot think beyond Dalllarrrs. Understand that in India, a person earning $2500 per month can live like a King. The diplomat's salary was $4000. A maid would not earn more than $250 per month in India, and additionally, she would have to spend on her food and accommodation.

    Here, this maid got free food and free accommodation in New York and was paid her salary separately. If I place an ad in a newspaper today, I will find thousands of Indians who would be willing to give an arm and a leg to be similarly "exploited". Every Indian driver/maid/domestic help would die to be in this maid's place.

    If an American woman diplomat were to be strip searched by Indian police, and have her cavities probed, the American nation would have erupted in outrage, and brown sepoys like you would have supported the Americans and cursed our backward Indians. Why the hypocrisy, why the double standards?

    It is a separate matter that this lady Devyani appears to be corrupt. For that, she needs to be tried and prosecuted in INDIA, and not by the idiotic Americans.


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  12. This post shows anti-Dalit bias of Sujai.

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    Replies
    1. well not always. His bias has hierarchy. First comes anything related to Telangana. Then Islam. Then Kashmir. Then white skin and then probably Dalits. So, this episode ended up being bottom. So according his evolved sense of logic, he is bound to disregard everything else. :)

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  13. According to http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_2637.html#personal

    Minimum Wage: The contract must state the hourly wage to be paid to the domestic employee. The rate must be the greater of the minimum wage under U.S. Federal and state law, or the prevailing wage for all working hours. I
    ..
    As of March 2011, the Department determined that no deductions are allowed for lodging, medical care, medical insurance, or travel. As of April 2012, deductions taken for meals are also no longer allowed.

    ==

    So there is no question she broke the law. Only question is whether US should ignore such incidents in name of bilateral relationship? Pat down and Cavity search is standard procedure for any person who will be locked down. The question is should they have treated her differently because she is attached Indian embassy and it might afect bilateral relationship.

    -Ram

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  14. Do read this,

    http://www.rediff.com/news/column/column-anil-a-athale-the-diplomats-arrest-the-tuticorin-connection/20131226.htm

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  15. >> Devyani Khobragade is cute. You cannot deny this.
    Pre-occupation with beauty and 'cuteness' has nothing only-Indian-like about it and this tinge of your sarcasm inadvertently reeks of a despicable Indian-attitude towards beauty. Katrina Kaif is a top actress because she has the ability to keep cash counters busy with her fan-base and that's not because she's a good actress but probably more because she evokes an erotic response in the minds of her beauty-deprived male followers.

    Sometimes, one's base subconsciousness falls through the cracks of self proclaimed moral high ground. One needs to be, hence, more careful when attempting sarcasm - not to let loose impressions of one's native upbringing.

    Coming to Devyani, no matter how beautiful she is, when she's strip searched, cavity searched, she deserves the help of her land.

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  16. As some Anon has posted above, that US is more than willing to violate its own laws when it suits them. Raymond Davis is a case in point where US insisted diplomatic immunity for a person who was not even a US Government servant. Entire Snowden episode is a testimony of US hypocrisy about rule of law. Only some dumb assess who have lived in the US for a few years and hence consider themselves expert on US affairs believe that Devyani episode was about rule of law.

    That said, now that Devyani is back into country she should be tried for lying on visa form.

    - sudheer

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  17. I really liked the piece. Awesome write-up.

    ReplyDelete

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