Indian socialism has a history prior to proximity with the Soviet Union. It took the form of what is called the license-permit Raj (rule) that regulated industry. It also involved nationalizing enterprises and passing a number of labor laws. Limited land reforms (distribution of land of feudal lords to peasants) were also undertaken in rural India.
Worker rights are well protected in the organized sector that has unions. But domestic workers fall in the unorganized sector - so they have little protection. There have been voices from liberal individuals in India to help protect unorganized labor.
Khobargade is from what is called the middle class of India. The so called middle class of India is a social middle class, not an economic middle class and is actually elite. This class is in the top decile of income in India. It is a class that routinely under values property when buying and selling property to evade transaction (stamp duty) tax, buys things without paying sales tax and opposes proposals to reserve a specified percentage of seats in schools for children from deprived sections of society.
Khobargade is a descendant of former untouchables - she has had the benefit of affirmative action to become elite. Unfortunately her own behavior now reflects “laws that help me are laws to be followed, other laws are to be cleverly flouted” elite attitude.
The Indian Govt has invoked nationalism to defend Khobargade, whereas I, as an Indian prefer patriotism.
I honestly have high regards for American system, American people and American culture. There’s a lot of things that India can learn from the US. Apology, dropping of charges, retroactive immunity, indictment, conviction, acquitted - Whatever happens in this case, that MUST NOT be illegal as per American law.
Now, US ‘blocks’ aid over Raymond Davis issue Raymond Davis case: US lawmakers threaten aid stoppage
I am tempted to give such examples ONLY when people in this thread start giving moral lectures. Start behaving like their country is moral guardians of this world because thats NOT the case.
Indian government HASN’T comprised security, HASN’T comprised on ANY threat assessment. Barricades were there for keeping that space, traffic free. Basically Americans were given additional facilities which aren’t there for many other embassies. And no, We do not want Preet Bharara or other officials arrested.
Are you crazy? India should apologize for its complicity and endorsement in human trafficking. As a signatory (and author) of many UN treaties and subject papers on the topic, India’s behavior is shameful and disgusting almost beyond all reckoning.
Let me reiterate. When you import a human into the United States through fraud, with the express intention of exploiting that persons labor through illegal means, and keep them in illegal working condition with legal threats, you are trafficking in humans. (Title 22 U S Code, chapter 78 ) The United States is obligated, by both it’s own law and numerous international treaties, to not only put a stop to the employers illegal conduct, but protect the worker on our soil.
Thie United States should not ever apologize for combatting human trafficking.
I had a question for our Indian friends. Was Khobargade legally responsible for knowing the whereabouts of her maid?
I ask because Khobargade seemed genuinely concerned when the maid went missing. She tried to file a missing persons report with the NY police. She eventually filed a report with Indian authorities. She seemed very concerned that the maid had gone missing. It was like a family member went missing.
Since Khobargade arranged for the maid’s work visa. Was she responsible for her maid’s safety? Is that why she tried to file a missing persons report?
No doubt this is true, but if India thought that a strategic partnership with the US meant that their consular agents could break the law and lie about it with impunity, then that sure was humbug and needed to be corrected.
I can assure you that Americans respect and like Indians. I work at a university and some of our best engineering & math professors are from India. I know several of the professors and we sometimes meet after work to socialize.
She may have known that. That still wouldn’t make the arrangement moral.
Exactly! This woman was being made to work long hours for somewhere between half- and one-third of the wage she was legally entitled to, but if you think about it, by quitting, isn’t she just as bad as the boss who made her work under those conditions?
No, not even close.
If everything happened as alleged, Khobragade got a servant she couldn’t afford by paying her an illegally low wage. That would count as a benefit. She didn’t get the servant for as long as she wanted and she got arrested, but those are both consequences of failing to pay a legal wage.
Wait a second - the consul’s sister released a letter that the maid wrote? Who did the maid write the letter to? It says “her family” - does that mean Sangeeta’s family or Devyani’s family? Why would she write a letter to Devyani’s family? If it was to her own family, how did Devyani’s sister get the letter? This sounds like a huge setup.
Khobargade’s family has released via facebook/media what appears to be either an extract from a letter written by the maid to her family or an extract from her personal diary.
The extract is not dated - it appears to have been written soon after her arrival in NYC - and she is understandably impressed by the apartment.
What is worrisome is how Khobargade’s family got hold of what is a private document (letter from maid to her family / personal diary) and whether her permission was sought before making it public. It smacks of typical Indian elite arrogance - privacy is for them not for the subaltern.
Oh come on. Someone she lived with and saw almost every day went missing. This person could have also known she was breaking the law. There are a handful of reasons she could have filed a missing persons report other than viewing her underpaid servant as a family member.
I do not think so. Actually when the maid reappeared and met Devyani, she demanded $10k, renewed passport and arrangement for her green card. Basically she was blackmailing Devyani.
Devyani agreed to give $10k and said she can arrange for flight back home(to India). But the Maid says once she goes back to India she knows she can’t get Green Card.
This is why Delhi High Court has issued arrest warrant against her. India foreign ministry has sent MULTIPLE unanswered email to US state department for that.
THIS is why narratives are different in US n in India.
Plus the main thing also is - we don’t believe public arrest, strip and cavity search are respectable treatment for Consul general.
Even Khobagrade doesn’t say she was arrested in public, and the U.S. Marshalls says there was no cavity search. I expect you will continue to repeat those claims, but that won’t make them true.
Can you elaborate on your response to Gopolan here? I don’t want to jump to the conclusion that muldoonthief mentions, but I’m having a hard time coming up with another reasonable interpretation. Help me out, please!
