File photo: CFP

Indian media were dismayed that their Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been advised to attend the US-proposed so-called Summit for Democracy and reminded Indian authorities to be wary of the US playing tricks behind the summit, pointing out that the US itself is "the biggest question mark."

Modi is "lending legitimacy to American global arrogance" by attending the so-called Summit for Democracy, The Wire reported on Wednesday, noting that Modi should not take part in the "massive talkathon." 

The US has sought to enlist Modi's participation because the Democratic Party's strategists know that he can not only "mesmerize voters in India but can also swing votes in the US," The Wire said. It stressed that it is no secret that President Biden's party is going to face a very rough time in next year's elections. 

The report said that in ancient India, they were practicing evolved democracy much earlier than the US, who was still learning how to kill off its native people.

It's evident that there are politics being played behind the list of over 100 participating countries and regions for Biden's summit for democracy, The Tribune reported on Tuesday. The report explained that some are strong liberal democracies of Europe, others are weak semi-democracies like India and Israel, and some are invitees which are not free.

"The biggest question mark is before the host country, the US itself," the report said, noting that, "in the past year, we have seen a presidential election where the losing candidate has made false claims that his election was stolen and there was even a coup attempt to prevent the succession." 

The annual assessment of Freedom House, a US nongovernmental organization, has recorded a systematic erosion of US democratic practices, The Tribune said. "In the past decade, the US score has fallen from 94 to 83 out of 100, the steepest fall among all countries."

Also, The Economic Times reported on Tuesday that the summit provides an occasion to look at "some fundamentals of democracy beyond the conduct of elections" to decide who would control the levers of state power. The report said protests against COVID-19 vaccines and restrictions are signs of democratic failure.

"Happy to have participated in the Summit for Democracy at the invitation of President Biden," Modi tweeted earlier. But some netizens showed their discontent with Modi's participation at the summit.

"Now even the public has no voting rights in India," one netizen wrote. Some netizens questioned the purpose of the summit. "What is the purpose of this forum? Will the life of at least one person change according to its results? Will hunger end in Afghanistan?"

Global Times