Could be a serious bluff.

Analysts are wrong when they think that India-US ties are under severe strain" because "Washington has no intention of weakening India-US ties. It still needs India to counter China in the Indo-Pacific. "India must call America's bluff." "Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India as carved out an independent foreign policy that challenges US hegemonic interests." FP. First, despite US sanctions, "India saved roughly $2.7 billion by importing discounted Russian oil in the first nine months of this year," "a total of 69.06 million metric tons of Russian oil, equivalent to 1.85 million barrels per day." Reuters. That's because of US sanctions on Russia. home.treasury.gov. Secondly, "India's leadership of the Global South has diluted Western sanctions on Russia." Why then did Pakistan trounce India by 38 votes to 18, with two abstentions, for "the post of vice-chair of the United Nations, Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) executive board," which suggests that "these Global South countries largely sided with Pakistan, since they formed the majority of board members." The Print. And third, "Rapid indigenisation of military hardware that in the long term will greatly reduce New Delhi's dependence on US weaponry." Indo-Pacific means naval contest. The Indian Navy has ordered a second aircraft carrier at a cost of Rs 400 billion, which will be similar to "INS Vikrant, India's first indigenous aircraft carrier, commissioned in September 2022." These are 'light' 40,000-tonne carriers, whereas the Navy wanted a 'big' 60,000-tonne plus flattop. "In wartime conditions, a small carrier is constrained in its operations, particularly when faced with the adversary's anti-access, anti-denial systems. In the absence, of a catapult system to enable the launch of heavy long-range multi-function aircraft, the ship is forced to operate within the engagement envelope of the adversary's shore-based missile and air defence systems," wrote Abhijit Singh. China is building an 80,000 tonne carrier. Although the India-made Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas is superior to the Chinese-made JF-17 used by Pakistan, "The LAC Navy was found to have flaws with a weak under fuselage and landing gear, a low thrust-to-weight ratio to take off with a full fuel and weapons payload, and being a single-engine aircraft when the force principally desires a strong twin-engine jet." The Eurasian Times. Perhaps, the US would like China to be occupied in a land war with India across our northern border which will automatically reduce pressure on the Indo-Pacific. The US has many friends. "The United States welcomes the commitments by Australia, the European Union, Japan, and the United Kingdom that they will also take similarly forceful actions to hold Russia accountable - demonstrating the strength of our partnerships." The White House. Who can India count on? Better not to call America's bluff. It could be a serious bluff.