U.S. ambassador to India resigns

[W.G.Ewald]

U.S. Ambassador to India Nancy Powell announced her resignation Monday after only two years on the job, sparking some speculation overseas that the administration may have been looking to replace her.

Powell only arrived in India in April 2012, and these diplomatic posts typically last three years.

The buzz in New Delhi is that Powell's departure may be related to ongoing tensions over the uproar in India after the arrest of Devyani Khobragade, an Indian diplomat in New York, on charges of falsifying visa documents for her maid/nanny and then lying to investigators about what she was paying the domestic worker. The January arrest, during which Khobragade was stripped search, was condemned by the Indian government, and the U.S. embassy in New Delhi was held accountable.

U.S. ambassador to India resigns

 

[pmaitra]

They are probably going to replace her with another Harvard or Yale graduate, with mediocre skills, and political protégé-hood, who will further ruin whatever is left of Indo-US relations.

 

[Bhadra]

They are probably going to replace her with another Harvard or Yale graduate, with mediocre skills, and political protégé-hood, who will further ruin whatever is left of Indo-US relations.

Did she resign in protest of C-130 J crash ?

Or a Devyani fallout ??

 

[Free Karma]

And article that came out last week
US ambassador Nancy Powell likely to be replaced in India if Modi becomes PM - The American Bazaar

WASHINGTON, DC: The US Ambassador to India, Nancy Powell, will likely be replaced later this year, an effort by the Obama administration to repair ties with the Indian government and BJP candidate Narendra Modi, who is increasingly looking like India's next Prime Minister, says a report.

The US wants to "clean the slate" and repair ties with India as much as they can. A big step in doing so would be to make Modi, the heir apparent to the most powerful position in Indian government, as happy as possible, said a report in The Hindustan Times.

Part of that was accomplished earlier this month, when Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Desai Biswal told Indian officials during her visit to the country that the US would welcome Modi, effectively negating his long-standing visa issue. Now, it looks like Powell will be thrown under the bus to further appease the Gujarat Chief Minister, who apparently has not taken too kindly to America's leading foreign dignitary to India.

According to a senior-level BJP member, who spoke anonymously with Times, Powell has been fingered as being the main thorn in Modi's side. The source said that she has been the main proponent for denying Modi a visa over the past few years, and is said to have been against meeting with Modi earlier this year, in Gandhinagar.

The US-India relationship has taken several well-documented hits over the last year. Chief among them was the US arrest of Devyani Khobragade, the Indian Deputy Consul General, in December of last year. Compounding matters were repeated sanctions and other disciplinary actions brought down by the US on India's airline, pharmaceutical, and solar energy sectors, the latter of which prompted a case to be taken to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Powell became the Ambassador to India last year, assuming office on April 19. Previously, she was the US Ambassador to Nepal (2007-2010), Pakistan (2002-2004), Ghana (2001-2002), and Uganda (1997-1999). A graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, Powell has also served as the Director General of the United States Foreign Service, a position she held between her postings in Nepal and India.

Maybe it's just everything put together.

 

[laughingbuddha]

Looks so.
The US should appoint a political emissary if they are serious about enhancing Indo-US relations.
The indian stand at the UN regarding the Ukraine will be food for thought.

 

[Ray]

I won't feel sorry to see her go.

The India US relations were on the upswing, but under her watch, this blooming and warm relationship nosedived and crashed.

I learn that more than the Khobargade case, what irked the Govt was that the maid's husband was sneaked out of India under very controversial manner and illegal buying of tickets by the US flunkey under Powell without taxes, which is a privilege that is only extended to serving diplomats as per the UN conventions.

It is believed that one Mr Shah, a Gujarati and an American of Indian origin would be the replacement, if approved by US Congress.

However, the problem for such a person would be that Indian would expect him to think as an India and he, on the other hand, would have to be a true blue American!

He will have the same problem like the Australian Ambassador of Indian origin juggling desires of both sides as was when there was the claim of racist attacks on Indians.

 

[Neil]

Did she resign in protest of C-130 J crash ?

Or a Devyani fallout ??

eh? what has the crash anything to do with her?

 

[ladder]

They are probably going to replace her with another Harvard or Yale graduate, with mediocre skills, and political protégé-hood, who will further ruin whatever is left of Indo-US relations.

Read somewhere that an Indian origin guy is front-runner for the job.

 

[trackwhack]

She resigned because she did not want to go through a cavity search at airports. She knew her number was coming up after the election results. So she got out as soon as she could. Anyway Modi got the US to force her to drag her sorry ass to Gandhinagar and meet him. That I am sure was the high point of her miserable career.

 

[ersakthivel]

A mighty fall from a moral high ground | The Asian Age

Rise of BJP and Powell's Recall - The New Indian Express

It seems nancy powell lost her job for her misleading views on Modi to US administration and US govt is trying to mollify Modi by appointing a Gujarathi origin US citizen in her place if these reports are correct.

But still these foreigners are not stopping their anti modi bandwagon

BJP angry over Modi article