Double trouble for HowdyModi organisers: A hurricane and Pakistani protesters

WASHINGTON: Massive flooding that has put parts of Houston underwater is expected to recede by Sunday morning in time for the ‘Howdy, Modi’ rally, although predictions for “scattered thunderstorms” over the weekend are far from comforting for organisers more worried about the weather than protesters, reports Chidanand Rajghatta.

Houston is reeling from its third “historic” flooding in three years, this time from torrential rains of anywhere between 10 inches to 40 inches falling from Hurricane Imelda.

Even if the rain holds off and weather improves, protesters backed by Pakistan are itching to rain the Modi-Trump parade. The big challenge for the Indian side is to counter the propaganda blizzard by Pakistani partisans and a few Americans borrowing from Imran Khan’s playbook of comparing Modi to Hitler and BJP/RSS to Nazis, a description that some Indian liberals also embrace. Fortunately for India, Pakistan’s own dismal record of military rule and its long association with terrorists and terror attacks, including attacks in United States by its nationals, makes New Delhi’s task so much easier.