Victory Guaranteed.

"India's ruling nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday (yesterday) regional votes in three out of four major states, in a big boost for Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of a national election due by May." "During his campaign, Mr Modi announced that a scheme to provide 5kg of free grain a month of 800 million of India's poorest people would continue for the next five years. The resurgence of his party in Madhya Pradesh was also credited to a program offering a monthly stipend of Rs 1,250 ($16) to eligible women from poorer families." BBC. "The BJP's Chhattisgarh manifesto, for instance, titled Modi's Guarantees, promised annual financial assistance to married women and landless agricultural laborers, paddy procurement at Rs 3,100 per quintal and cooking gas cylinder at Rs 500 to poor families." The Week. Plain bribes. But why did people vote for "Modi's Guarantees" when all parties offer similar, or more, bribes? Because, people know that the Central government can cut finances to states with opposition governments and make it difficult to carry out their promises. If we are going to vote for satraps why not vote for the biggest one? "Interestingly, it is not clear who will be the BJP's chief minister in any of the three heartland states." Irrelevant, because the BJP is centered around Mr Modi and everyone is required to offer total obeisance to him. "If anything, the BJP amplified its pitch around the prime minister during these polls as its manifestos featured his guarantees, with Modi crisscrossing the poll-bound state." ET. Do these domestic events have any bearing on India's foreign relations? On 18 June 2023, Sikh separatist and Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot to death in the parking lot of a Sikh temple in British Columbia. wikipedia. Between 20 and 24 June Mr Modi was in the US for an official state visit. "US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, too will host PM Modi for a state dinner. Also, a state visit is usually reserved only for 'closest friends and allies'." HT. "US prosecutors have charged an Indian man with a plot to kill at least four Sikh separatists in North America." This man is Nikhil Gupta. "On 12 June, Mr Gupta told the US law enforcement source there was a 'big target' in Canada. Six days after that, on 18 June, Mr Nijjar was shot dead by two gunmen." BBC. In September, "President Joe Biden and PM Modi are certainly putting in the time to cultivate their relationship." "There have been more than a dozen in-person or virtual engagements between the leaders since 2021." NBC. The US lovey-dovey relationship with Mr Modi does not extend to Indian government departments. "Two senior Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) were asked to leave their stations in major Western cities (San Francisco and London) this summer," and "RAW was also blocked from replacing its station head in Washington, DC." The Print. His addiction to adulation means that Mr Modi could sign up to US proposals even as it blocks India's policies. The US has a long track record of cozying up to dictators (Vice) to get what it wants. That is the US's Guarantees.