Forget the hand. Beware the finger.

"Mohan Bhagwat has discovered a sinister foreign hand behind protests in India." "How depressingly familiar. Indira Gandhi popularised the technique of blaming domestic dissent on foreign conspiracies. The 'foreign hand' became a convenient explanation for protests against corruption, inflation and authoritarianism," wrote Swaminathan Aiyar. Mr Mohan Bhagwat is the Sarsangchalak (Supreme Leader) of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) (wikipedia) which provides muscular support for the BJP government. Mrs Indira Gandhi claimed that there was a CIA conspiracy to assassinate her after the assassination of Chile's Salvador Allende as the reason for declaring an Emergency from 25 June 1975 to 21 March 1977 (wikipedia). At that time the US "was active around the world destabising unfriendly governments and installing friendly regimes. Tin pot dictators in banana republics became extensions of the American empire," wrote Sanjaya Baru. In June 2025, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey "recalled an incident from 1971, claiming former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was kept waiting for an hour by US President Richard Nixon during her visit to Washington." TOI. This was probably a triumphant hint at Prime Minister Narendra Modi being hosted at Blair House, also known as The President's Guest House, by President Donald Trump in February 2025, and where Charles de Gaulle, Queen Elizabeth II and the emperor of Japan also stayed. NDTV. Another difference between Mrs Gandhi and Mr Modi is that Mrs Gandhi won an emphatic victory against Pakistan in December 1971 (wikipedia), leading to the independence of Bangladesh, despite threats from Allied warships led by the US Seventh Fleet (TOI), whereas US President Donald Trump has been claiming repeatedly to have stopped Operation Sindoor by threatening to impose punitive tariffs and that 11 planes were shot down. NDTV. In fact, India could be the 'foreign hand' in the US midterm elections on 3 November 2026 (BBC). "Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola's campaign is under fire after a New York Times report that it played a role in recruiting Dan J Sullivan - a Republican who almost has the same name as incumbent GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan - as part of an effort to sow confusion and ultimately benefit Peltola's campaign." Text messages and documents apparently showed that "lawyers for Peltola and senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee contributed to pushing Dan J Sullivan, a Republican on Alaska's four-way ballot, to run." ABC. Fielding namesakes, known as 'vote cutters', has been a common practice in India. A rival party backs several people with the same name to stand as candidates to confuse the electorate.  "The highest number I came across, coming from a famous 2014 story in Hindustan Times, seven namesakes. Chandu Lal Sahu, a politician from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), had seven rivals named exactly like him, apart from three bearing a very similar name (Chandu Ram Sahu) and two more with the same surname. He won, but the final result was a close call," wrote Krzysztof Iwanek. To avoid confusion, especially among the illiterate, the Election Commission of India allots symbols to political parties which can be easily recognized (wikipedia). So, asking people to vote for the 'broom', instead of looking for the Aam Aadmi Party, or the 'hand', instead of the Congress Party, avoids confusion. If it is any consolation to corrupt, inefficient governments, "A Fox news digital investigation claims to have uncovered links between riots in France and youth protests in India demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar." Apparently, "101 organisations across nine countries form a 'red-green protest ecosystem', referring to Islamist and communist groups, that are coordinating, organizing, or amplifying demonstrations across Europe with an expanding protest ecosystem." ET. With so many hands which one is foreign? Forget the hand. Worry about the 'moving finger'. It's writing.