Thread by @gauravsabnis

Senator is getting full attention of the Sanghi IT cell. Look at his replies and QTs. Such ridiculous attacks on him too. "You have a Pakistani friend and have been to Pakistan ergo you aren't a friend of India".

Great strategy, sanghis, alienate people who want to be friends.

https://twitter.com/ChrisVanHollen/status/1639404170666016768

Exactly! What possibly can the BJP gain from flooding the Twitter account of the sitting senator from Maryland who is on the powerful foreign relations committee, just for him expressing a very understandable opinion?

Just reflective ₹2 tweeting.

https://twitter.com/pol1tically/status/1639869570570756097?t=uvIoZVpRHFP71jo97E7wNw&s=19

Malware Malviya has created this ugly mercenary troll machine that just goes hammer and tongs after anyone and everyone saying anything critical of the BJP. Might work on individual who get sick of the hate. It's not gonna work on a US Senator. 🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️ His staff will notice, is all.

And you know what will happen? Any paperwork involving India will move that extra bit slowly through his office. He'll take an extra closer look at any Indian individual or company he deals with in his role.

Such a bizarre move to sic sanghi cell on a US Senator. 🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️

In the past couple of years, the Sanghi IT cell policy seems to be that no one in the world can express any opinion critical of Modi or BJP without automatically being an enemy of India. And flooding their Twitter mentions with hate will scare them into silence..

If you do things that make world headlines, the world is going to comment on it. Especially on Twitter. During the 2020 elections, BJP folks on Twitter were openly supporting Trump. And they weigh in on any US story. So to say don't even comment on India is a pointless tantrum.🥱

Some frustrated Desi uncle will randomly raise his voice and go "DON'T comment about India before fixing your problems 😤😡" to which the world will simply be like, nah, I'm gonna keep commenting regardless, uproot what you can uproot.

Sanghis started a random fight with US Democrats in the Trump years and kept at it even after Democrats took power. And they keep at it, often attacking the Veep's niece. And then they wonder gee, why is the wait time for a US tourist visa so high in India? Heh. They don't get it

Diplomacy usually doesn't work Trump or Jaishankar style with social media quips and sarcastic insults. Democrats won't come and openly insult you back. But you'll see the results of this unnecessary panga taken by sanghis and Modi campaigning for Trump. Visas, ambassador etc.

Indian media has ignored the historic tilt that Modi made in 2020 by openly taking sides in a US election, thinking if it helped Putin, it might help him. But Trump lost.

Far from reverting to the traditional neutral stance, they've kept the Dems-bashing going. Via Jaishankar.

And also through these Malviya orchestrated online attacks on Dems. You think Van Hollen & his staff don't realize that trolling of this scale can only come from the BJP IT cell with tacit approval of Shah?

Not everyone is as dumb and theatrical as a Whatsapp warrior.

Even though the hold-up on the Garcetti nomination is a Republican created problem, it's clear from Biden showing no interest in a compromise candidate that the Modi gormint is not his favorite in the world. Even the visas, they only fixed work & student visa delays.

It's now been long enough since Trump left a gutted state department plus the effective end of the pandemic, that US tourist visa times in India could have gone back to normal with some additional staffing and resources. That they haven't, you can read a lot into if you know.

American politicians other than Trump won't go out on Twitter and announce how they are dealing in diplomatic carrots and sticks. But they will make it hurt where it matters. Until this sanghi fight against Dems continues, say goodbye to US tourist visas, Indians.

Dem foreign policy is entirely national interest based. The US really vitally only "needs" 2 things from India. Grad students and white collar knowledge workers. Those visas were always flowing smoothly.

US doesn't really NEED Indian tourism. US tourism is fine without us.

Issuing every visa has a major cost! We feel US visa fees are super high but they barely cover the operating costs of consulates.

Anything that has a cost, comes with constraints. So you have to do resource management. Prioritize.

They prioritize student & work visas.

Why o why should they pour resources into speeding up tourist visa applications from India when the Indian government as well as a lot of Indian media and the public seem so openly anti-Dem and pro-Trump?? India watchers in the state department have been seeing what's happening.

If this were manmohan times, a few calls would be made, a few resources moved to India, and the tourist visa queue also sped up. But given the bizarre unprovoked attacks from #NewIndia on US Dems, you can see why no one in the US has an interest in doing so. 🤷🏽

For some reason, sanghis seem to think that throwing Twitter and TV tantrums in the general direction of the US left will make Biden & US media suddenly fall in line and start praising Modi.

Whereas these are Dems who sent the Speaker to Taipei and coolly poked China.