The Indian government, on Tuesday, underlined that while its first obligation was to ensure adequate stocks of medicines for its own people, it will provide medicines like paracetamol and hydroxychloroquine to all its neighbours and those nations who are badly affected by COVID-19.
While this statement doused the fire lit by US President Donald Trump’s imprudent remarks talking of “retaliation” if India did not provide US with hydroxychloroquine, it also underscored and reiterated India’s glorious history of diplomacy with a humanitarian approach.
If US President Donald Trump’s “retaliation” remarks were ill-timed—given the ascendancy in ties between US and India—India’s response reassuring that it’ll help any nation in need of these medicines just added to its growing world stature.
Friends, when in distress, can’t be left to fend for themselves. The US is India’s friend with almost 27 lakh Indian origin people on its soil. And while Trump’s imprudent remarks may well be discussed and debated, India’s gesture of helping out the friendly people of US will not go unnoticed and would, in fact, help create and cement bonds between the two nations.
While a country like China—under scanner for its role in the spread of COVID-19—has been going around creating photo ops for each item it provides as aid, India has been quietly performing its duty diligently without making much noise. It’s time the world took notice of that.
