Contents of the United States diplomatic cables leak (India)

According to Robert O Blake, several officials in the Government of India actively and passively assisted in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots because of "opportunism and hatred"^[1][2]

Political parties regularly bribe voters, in the form of cash, goods, or services, before elections in South India. It may range from financing the construction of a community well to putting into an envelope and delivering it inside the morning newspaper. Politicians and their operatives have admitted to violating election rules to influence voters. The money used to pay for the bribes come from the money raised through fundraising. The practice is thought to have swung many elections where the race was close.^[3]

The U.S. State Department solicited "biographical and biometric information on key NAM/G-77/OIC Permanent Representatives, particularly India, China".^[4]

Various diplomatic cables from the U.S. Embassy in India show an evolving U.S. view of Rahul Gandhi. In late 2007, U.S. diplomats described him, "widely viewed as an empty suit and will have to prove wrong those who dismiss him as a lightweight. To do so he will have to demonstrate determination, depth, savvy and stamina. He will need to get his hands dirty in the untidy and ruthless business that is Indian politics." Other cables say that Gandhi was politically inexperienced, made repeated mistakes, and refer to criticisms of him by "political analysts and journalists". His relations with the U.S. improved over time. In November 2009, after a meeting with the U.S. ambassador, he has described as "an elusive contact in the past" but now "clearly interested in reaching out to the [U.S. government]". A cable from February 2010 describes him as "increasingly sure-footed".^[5]

A cable dated 2 November 2006 from Michael S. Owen, the U.S. Consul General in Mumbai, indicated that he wanted to reach out to then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, following the U.S. denying him a visa in 2005. In his appraisal of Modi, Owen wrote, "Modi has successfully branded himself as a non-corrupt, effective administrator, as a facilitator of business in a state with a deep commercial culture, and as a no-nonsense, law-and-order politician who looks after the interests of the Hindu majority."^[6]

The U.S. conducted its own secret analysis of India's military contingency plans, which are codenamed Cold Start.^[7] India has said that if sufficiently provoked, it would mount a rapid invasion of Pakistan. The U.S. said in a cable that it highly doubted the Indian Army was capable of doing so: "It is the collective judgment of the mission that India would likely encounter very mixed results. Indian forces could have significant problems consolidating initial gains due to logistical difficulties and slow reinforcement".^[7] However, Roemer warned that for India to launch the Cold Start doctrine, would be to "roll the nuclear dice". It could trigger the world's first use of nuclear weapons since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.^[7] Indian leaders no doubt realize that, although Cold Start is designed to punish Pakistan in a limited manner without triggering a nuclear response, the Indians cannot be sure whether Pakistani leaders will in fact refrain from such a response".^[7] To counter the Indian doctrine, U.S. diplomats in Islamabad were told Pakistan was working on producing smaller, tactical nuclear weapons such as nuclear artillery that could be used on the battlefield against Indian troops.^[7]

Shivshankar Menon, the current Indian national security advisor said, though "the Tibetan movement has the sympathy of the Indian public, and India has been a generally supportive home to tens of thousands of Tibetans, including the Dalai Lama, for nearly 50 years, the tacit agreement that Tibetans are welcome in India as long as they don't cause problems is being challenged".^[8]

Bahrain's King Hamad holds a positive view of India and urged the U.S. to use India's help in Afghanistan. He considers India as a positive force in the region.^[9]

A U.S. State Department cable called India a "self-appointed frontrunner for permanent UNSC seat". However, despite the criticisms, the U.S. remains supportive of India's bid for a seat in the U.N., along with that of Japan, Brazil and Germany.^[4]