Hurt that my parents were hurt by criticism heaped on me, says Bharara.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: While the big story from last week’s Harvard Law School convocation may have been that Mindy Kaling gave an hilarious and heartfelt speech to the school’s graduating class, US District Attorney and fellow Indian American Preet Bharara was also there, where he spoke about life, the law, and Devyani Khobragade.
During his speech, given at Harvard last Wednesday, Bharara admitted to being surprised and somewhat hurt at the vitriol levied against him immediately after the Indian Deputy Consul General was arrested in Manhattan, back on December 12. He explained that the accusations did cut him a bit, but as they became more ridiculous, he was able to get past it and realize that he was doing his job, at least in his eyes.
The US Attorney for the Southern District of New York said that the reaction of the Indian government also surprised him a bit, but what really hurt was that his parents were hurt by what the press was saying. Bharara had been called, in so many words, an Indian Uncle Tom by many in the media and the Indian American community – not a trivial statement to make. He said that the crime was serious, but was not “the crime of the century” as it was made out to be.
Bharara said that he only knew Khobragade was going to be arrested two days before it actually took place, and that he made sure proper procedure was followed. Perhaps most stunning, Bharara implied that the US Department of State was the real villain in all this, saying that it was bureaucrats there that put pressure on Bharara to levy the criminal charges. He also accused the Indian government for being too personal about the case, mainly because it was being prosecuted by a desi litigator.
As for the rest of his speech, Bharara kept things surprisingly light, even saying that he was insulted by Mindy Kaling’s participation because it meant that Harvard didn’t think he could carry the entire commencement ceremony himself. Bharara even quoted one of his favorite movies, The Departed, to give his simplest and most hard-hitting advice to the Harvard Law School Class of 2014.
Quoting Mark Wahlber’s Sgt. Dignam character from the Oscar-winning film, Bharara said “I’m the guy who does his job, you must be the other guy.” That, he said, is the best advice he could ever give, telling the students “nothing else matters but doing your job.”
The statement could also be seen as Bharara defending himself about the Khobragade scandal, saying that he was merely following orders and doing what he was supposed to do.
Known as the Sherriff of Wall Street, Bharara has an unparalleled record of prosecuting financial crime in New York City. He has sent more than one South Asian American to jail, including Raj Rajaratnam, Rajat Gupta, and Mathew Martoma. Many in the political sphere believe that Bharara could be poised for high elected offices, potentially even that of US Attorney General.
7 Comments
Nobody cares about whether he does he job or not. What matters is whether he milked this arrest to gain political mileage at the expense of India US ties. I think he did.
Nothing wrong with being a ptriot but getting sucked into chauvinism is dangerously serious! specially Indian media fails to cover many important points about REAL MODI image that is/was camouflaged in front of innocent Indian voters…
Modi has so far expressed no regrets for the Gujrat riots and his disturbing associations with RSS(the nationalist organization banned twice in India) . His supporters have argued that his focus on economic development is the keystone to his image softening. Nevertheless, should Modi wish to be seen as a statesman in the vein of Vajpayee or L.K. Advani, former deputy prime minister under Vajpayee, and be more acceptable on world stage, he is likely to do more to soften his image.
Secondly, Modi’s leadership style will most likely hurt him(or in the long run Nation). In public appearances, he can be charming and like-able. By all accounts, however, Modi is an insular, distrustful person who prefers to rule with a small group of advisers. This inner circle will act as a buffer between him and his cabinet. He will reign more by fear and intimidation than by inclusiveness and consensus; he is rude, condescending, and often derogatory to even high-level party officials. He will hoard power and often leave his ministers in the cold when making decisions that affect their portfolios.
Modi’s abrasive leadership style could alienate many of his comrades. He faced angry colleagues in Gujrat, but managed to quell their subsequent rebellion by branding them as corrupt opportunists who were disgruntled because he denied them the tools of political patronage and corruption.
Modi has zero experience at international level . The dynamics of Indian politics and international diplomacy will require a more conciliatory and consensual style in New Delhi. Implementing his vision through India’s vast and disparate bureaucracy will be a significant challenge for Modi. In other words, the skills, style and political environment that contributed to success in Gujarat may not translate automatically into success at the union government.
Funny how you like your own comment lol!
Funny how he managed to smuggle out the family of the maid two days before the arrest of the diplomat even though he claims he got to know of the arrest only two days before.
Pretty efficient I must say, getting to know of the arrest and then managing to smuggle out the maids family the same day.
Nothing wrong with being a ptriot but getting sucked into chauvinism is dangerously serious! specially Indian media fails to cover many important points about REAL MODI image that is/was camouflaged in front of innocent Indian voters…
Modi has so far expressed no regrets for the Gujrat riots and his disturbing associations with RSS(the nationalist organization banned twice in India) . His supporters have argued that his focus on economic development is the keystone to his image softening. Nevertheless, should Modi wish to be seen as a statesman in the vein of Vajpayee or L.K. Advani, former deputy prime minister under Vajpayee, and be more acceptable on world stage, he is likely to do more to soften his image.
Secondly, Modi’s leadership style will most likely hurt him(or in the long run Nation). In public appearances, he can be charming and like-able. By all accounts, however, Modi is an insular, distrustful person who prefers to rule with a small group of advisers. This inner circle will act as a buffer between him and his cabinet. He will reign more by fear and intimidation than by inclusiveness and consensus; he is rude, condescending, and often derogatory to even high-level party officials. He will hoard power and often leave his ministers in the cold when making decisions that affect their portfolios.
Modi’s abrasive leadership style could alienate many of his comrades. He faced angry colleagues in Gujrat, but managed to quell their subsequent rebellion by branding them as corrupt opportunists who were disgruntled because he denied them the tools of political patronage and corruption… !!
Modi has zero experience at international level . The dynamics of Indian politics and international diplomacy will require a more conciliatory and consensual style in New Delhi. Implementing his vision through India’s vast and disparate bureaucracy will be a significant challenge for Modi. In other words, the skills, style and political environment that contributed to success in Gujarat may not translate automatically into success at the union government.
How is your propaganda diatribe relevent to the topic being discussed??
Yo troll! wassp.. You post the same thing about Modi everywhere. If you do not bring better troll content your contract won’t be renewed!