One thing which the BJP and Congress have in common is their double standard when it comes to issues related to the western world. Praise from foreign leaders, newspapers and magazines is presented as an endorsement, while criticism is dismissed, by simply saying that external opinions don't count.

The grand old party spared no opportunity to shield Dr Manmohan Singh from domestic criticism by pointing to his international stature and how even the US president Barack Obama looked up to him. But the scathing criticism of the PM from the western press, in an article titled, ‘India’s silent prime minister becomes a tragic figure’ published in the Washington Post edition of September 4, 2012, was dismissed by the Congress party and sections of the government.

The prime minister himself was certainly not delighted with the write-up. The PMO wrote back to the newspaper to state that their side of the story had not been heard and that the article was completely one-sided.

This criticism, some argue, dismayed the PM even more than the flak he has had to contend with domestically – over the past couple of years.

Some even argue that it is the attacks in the foreign media which compelled him to go for the introducing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in retail and certain other economic reforms. Gujarat CM and likely PM candidate of the BJP Narendra Modi stated that Dr Singh only shows his guts – acting like a 'Singham' – whenever he faces pressure from overseas.

If one were to look at the opposition BJP which claims to be a party with a difference, one would find that it is not different in this respect. In 2005, when Modi was rejected a US visa, the party was quick to condemn this action and categorically state that this has no bearing on domestic politics. Over the last few years, Modi has been receiving praise from the outside world – and recently even from the western world – for what has been dubbed by many as the ‘Gujarat model’ of development. First, it was the UK which in October announced its renewal of engagement with Gujarat, and more recently the European
Union revived serious engagement with the saffron strong man. This praise and recognition was highlighted by BJP president Rajnath Singh at the recent National Convention where Modi was presented as the first among equals in the context of governance and delivery.

The Wharton School of Business' snub to Modi, when it first invited him to deliver a keynote address at the Wharton India Economic Forum (WIEF) by videoconference and then backed out at the last moment, evinced peculiar responses from the party. While there should not be an iota of doubt that the Business School was extremely clumsy in its handling of the affair, there was no need to invite Modi if they had anticipated any backlash, and then withdrawing the invitation at the last minute was certainly not the right thing to do. BJP’s responses to the same were slightly amusing.

Prakash Javedkar categorically stated that Americans don’t vote in India – which is no doubt true. By the same token, the European Union and other countries which have given a thumbs up to Modi don't vote, and neither does the large Gujarati diaspora in the US which Modi addressed on Saturday. It was even more interesting to see a BJP spokesman – a famous film star – speaking the same language as ACLU – a left leaning Human Rights organization – with regard to Human Rights Violations by president George W Bush in Iraq. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is no different from Human Rights
Organisations which the BJP detests and loathes.

For long, Modi – an astute politician – has been using Western endorsement as a way of countering the scathing criticism he has been facing domestically, and now it has begun to yield some dividends. It has been especially handy for suave members of his PR machinery in the media and outside, who would classify perhaps as ‘five star activists’, to build the Modi for PM chorus. Let's also face it, that Modi’s popularity among those frustrated with UPA's poor performance has been aided by these western certificates. The growth rates of Gujarat and performance which he is credited for today existed even a few years earlier.

Yet, the issue is not about Modi and Manmohan Singh, it is about being defensive and hypocritical. When the US press criticised the PM and the Wharton fiasco took place, it would have made more sense for both political parties to either ignore what happened, or come up with logical arguments than come up with absurd ones. To say that what happens in the outside world, especially the US, has no bearing on India especially in urban India is a bit far-fetched. After all, India aspires to be a world power and cannot be insulated from what happens in other countries. Nationalism derived out of being regressive and inward looking should have no space in today's India.