The “level of tolerance” in India as well as the US has witnessed erosion under the present governments even as the bilateral relationship between the two countries is now “transactional” and singularly focussed on defence, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said. Gandhi made the comments during a conversation with former American diplomat Nicholas Burns, which the Congress released Friday.

“I think our partnership works because we have tolerant systems… You are an immigrant nation, we are a tolerant nation. We are supposed to have new ideas, we are supposed to be open. But the surprising thing is that open DNA is disappearing… I don’t see that level of tolerance that I used to see. I do not see in the US and I do not see it in India,” Gandhi said. Burns, who is an international relations professor at the Harvard Kennedy School, spoke about the ongoing protests across the US over the killing of an African-American man, George Floyd, by a white police officer on 25 May.

“In the US we have a problem of race, mistreatment of African-Americans since the beginning of the founding of this country… Race has come back now. The horrible murder of George Floyd, a young African-American man in Minneapolis… We are trying to protest peacefully, as is our right, as is your right in India,” said Burns.

However, he added that unlike China, the US can “correct” itself as a democracy through free and fair elections – similar to that in India. “My country will be back, we will strengthen our democracy,” said Burns.

According to Gandhi, deep divisions are appearing in both Indian and American societies, which could prove to be “tremendously weakening”. People who encourage these divisions, be it in the US or in India, call themselves “nationalists”, he added.

“Democracies go through trials. We play out our differences in political campaigns… Authoritarianism (is) coming back in Russia, in China…” said Burns. He stressed that “we democracies” are going through “painful episodes” due to “our freedom” but “we are so much stronger because of that”.

The conversation came as part of Gandhi’s ongoing series of ‘interviews’ with experts amid the Covid-19 crisis. He earlier spoke to economists Raghuram Rajan and Abhijit Banerjee, among others.

Talking about the crisis in India, Gandhi said this was the “most rigorous lockdown” that has instilled a sense of “fear” among people.

The “level of tolerance” in India as well as the US has witnessed erosion under the present governments even as the bilateral relationship between the two countries is now “transactional” and singularly focussed on defence, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said. Gandhi made the comments during a conversation with former American diplomat Nicholas Burns, which the Congress released Friday.

“I think our partnership works because we have tolerant systems… You are an immigrant nation, we are a tolerant nation. We are supposed to have new ideas, we are supposed to be open. But the surprising thing is that open DNA is disappearing… I don’t see that level of tolerance that I used to see. I do not see in the US and I do not see it in India,” Gandhi said. Burns, who is an international relations professor at the Harvard Kennedy School, spoke about the ongoing protests across the US over the killing of an African-American man, George Floyd, by a white police officer on 25 May.

“In the US we have a problem of race, mistreatment of African-Americans since the beginning of the founding of this country… Race has come back now. The horrible murder of George Floyd, a young African-American man in Minneapolis… We are trying to protest peacefully, as is our right, as is your right in India,” said Burns.

However, he added that unlike China, the US can “correct” itself as a democracy through free and fair elections – similar to that in India. “My country will be back, we will strengthen our democracy,” said Burns.

According to Gandhi, deep divisions are appearing in both Indian and American societies, which could prove to be “tremendously weakening”. People who encourage these divisions, be it in the US or in India, call themselves “nationalists”, he added.

“Democracies go through trials. We play out our differences in political campaigns… Authoritarianism (is) coming back in Russia, in China…” said Burns. He stressed that “we democracies” are going through “painful episodes” due to “our freedom” but “we are so much stronger because of that”.

The conversation came as part of Gandhi’s ongoing series of ‘interviews’ with experts amid the Covid-19 crisis. He earlier spoke to economists Raghuram Rajan and Abhijit Banerjee, among others.

Talking about the crisis in India, Gandhi said this was the “most rigorous lockdown” that has instilled a sense of “fear” among people.