254 n ormalization and after
through the prism of the Hindutva war against Muslim minorities
in India. Some of the barbarism which is taking place in Gujarat
fi nds a parallel in the Israeli atrocities in the West Bank. That is why
the Vajpayee government has remained silent throughout except for
a muted expression of concern for Yasser Arafat during the siege.
There is no indignation or revulsion at the savagery of the Israeli
onslaught. The nexus with the Israeli regime established by the BJP
rulers needs to be exposed and thwarted.^49When the Congress Party returned to power in 2004, the leftist parties
hoped that the UPA co ali tion government, which depended upon their
support, would bring about a “course correction” and freeze military
imports from Israel.^50 The refusal of the Congress Party to abandon its
course challenged the anti- Muslim paradigm presented by the left.
The attitude of other parties, such as the Janata Dal and Samajwadi
Party (SP), were rather mixed. At one level, they opposed normalization,
viewing Rao’s decision as an anti- Palestinian move and criticizing him
for reversing Nehru’s policy. At another level, they were active in promot-
ing bilateral relations. The actions of H. D. Deve Gowda, the Janata Dal
leader who was prime minister from June 1996 to April 1997, depict this
contradiction. In February 1995, Israel was the fi rst foreign country he
visited as the chief minister of Karnataka. As prime minister, he hosted
President Weizmann in December 1996, and the following February he
met Benjamin Netanyahu during the Davos economic summit. Despite
these, Gowda was in the forefront of opposition when Sharon visited In-
dia in 2003. The same applies to the SP leader, Mulayam Singh Yadav.
His self- portrayal as the champion of Muslims meant a criticism of and
distancing from Israel. However, the fi rst known visit to Israel of Scien-
tifi c Advisor A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (later India’s president), in June 1996,
took place when Yadav was India’s defense minister. A more robust pic-
ture can be found in the growing economic ties between the two.
Bilateral Trade
The pace of bilateral trade gives credence that both countries are
determined to make up for the lost de cades. Bilateral trade stood at just
$200 million in 1992 but passed the billion mark before the end of that