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There are only two angles in the case of the disappearing maid in the
USA. One, the Khobragade affair is straight out of an Aravind Adiga
novel, where elite Indians habitually and callously exploit their poor
employees.
Two, Richard was spying for the United States. For, why else would
Washington risk its nascent strategic ties with India to evacuate
Richard, her husband Philip and her family out of India?
And they didnt. Two days before Khobragade was arrested like a
common criminal, the Americans had evacuated Richard and family.
India will never see them again.
The sudden grant of visas and the escape of Richards family members
to the US imply the authorities in that country were closely monitoring
the situation with regards to its asset and its family, he adds. This
abrupt development may have been engendered by the imminent
possibility of the Indian judiciary tightening its noose on the family
members of Richard.
Post 9/11, R&AW was asked to liaise more with Western governments
in anti-terror efforts. This arrangement, under which at one time Indian
agents were studying in 80 American courses, proved disastrous for
Indias external intelligence. This was because the increased contacts
with the Americans led to the exposure of hundreds of Indian
intelligence agents. Some of them may have been recruited as double
agents working for the CIA.
One of these traitors was Rabinder Singh. His rise within the
organisation started when he procured classified US government
documentation through a relative, an American citizen who worked in
the United States Agency for International Development (USAID, which
has been kicked out of Russia, and like several American aid agencies
have dubious roles).
What is unique about the Rabinder Singh case in the annals of spying is
that the US embassy in New Delhi gave him an American passport so he
could escape via Nepal. This was extraordinary because deniability is at
the core of intelligence operations. But the Americans clearly did not
care that by issuing a document to Rabinder Singh they would not be
able to deny their association with him.
At that time Indias National Security Advisor said the issue was not
that there was a mole but why he was so important to US intelligence.
That neatly ties in with Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs claim made
last year that NGOs funded by the United States are leading the
protests against the Russian-built nuclear reactors in Kudankulam in
southern India.
The Hindus Pravin Swami agrees: Despite all the global spy bonhomie
that is supposed to have broken out after 9/11, the CIA, like any
competent espionage organisation, has continued to target India.
Wage row
The US is right that when Khobragade applied for her visa, she falsely
stated her paid would be paid the minimum US wage of $7.25 an hour.
But Satyabrata Pal, former Indian ambassador to Pakistan, writes in the
daily newspaper The Hindu: Every Indian diplomat in the US has told
the same lie, because none of them can afford to pay the local
minimum wage when their own pay, even with foreign allowance, is
barely more than that.
Not only is there a vested interest in keeping wages low, but because
the vast majority affected by these slave wages belong to Hispanic and
black communities, there is no tearing hurry to enact fair laws. Racial
discrimination is thus one of the main causes of low wages in the US.
Richard, on the other hand, lived within the well-furnished and warm
ambience of a New York home rented by the Indian government. As the
maid of an Indian diplomat she had none of the expenses that come
into play while calculating the minimum wage.
She was living in her own private room in Khobragades home, with the
Indian government taking care of all her expenses such as food,
clothing, medical bills and transport. So whatever the maid earned was
hers to keep.
Clearly, the US had no case against Khobragade.
The fallout
The most shocking revelation that has come spinning out of the
Khobragade scandal is the myriad of entitlements, privileges and
immunities that Western especially American diplomats enjoy in
India. These unilateral benefits were extracted from India as a quid pro
quo for assisting the country during the 1962 China War. In return
Indian diplomats get squat.
In a bid to appear tough before the general elections next year the
usually feckless Congress government has been forced to suspend
these privileges. Whether these privileges are quietly restored is
anybodys guess.
India can also require, Karnad adds, that the large horde of Indians
employed by the US embassy and consulates be paid salaries at the US
level, which will raise the wage-bill manifold. And, besides imposing
curbs on US diplomats, several multi-billion dollar arms deals in the
pipeline should be frozen.
The American political leadership largely comprises British descendants,
who are a nation of shopkeepers. Cancelling a few big-ticket business
deals should quickly bring these mercenaries to their senses.