Exit the dragon, enter India as US favourite

WASHINGTON: The US is heartily backing India’s rise again after briefly flirting with the idea of a G-2 clinch with China. Restating even more assertively the Bush era pledge to support India’s rise as a global power , a top official of the Obama administration on Tuesday allayed New Delhi’s apprehensions that it is being relegated to play second fiddle to Beijing while suggesting Washington is favorably disposed towards India’s bid for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council.

Speaking on the eve of the inaugural U.S-India Strategic Dialogue , U.S Undersecretary of State William Burns sought to dispel a raft of doubts and misgivings among South Asia pundits - primary among them, that President Obama had downgraded ties with India at the expense of Washington embrace of China, and U.S security objectives in Af-Pak region.

‘’The simple truth is India’s strength and progress on world stage is deeply in strategic interest of the US,’’ turns told a packed audience of policy mavens at the Center for Foreign Relations next to the White House. ‘’This Administration has been, and will remain, deeply committed to supporting India’s rise and to building the strongest possible partnership between us.’’

In setting the stage for the strategic dialogue starting Wednesday, Burns insisted President Obama had never really taken his eye off the ball, joking that ‘’India’s rise and the promise of US-Indian partnership —- is one of those rarest of Washington species, a genuinely bipartisan policy priority.’’