Trump Pulling A Nehru? Ivanka’s Unusually Active Role In G-20 Summit Sparks Debate On Nehru’s Role In Indira’s Rise

In a short video-clip going viral on social media, daughter of United States (US) President Donald Trump is seen chatting with French president Emmanuel Macron, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, International Monetary Fund director Christine Lagarde and British prime minister Theresa May.

The video has sparked speculations that Trump might be trying to promote daughter Ivanka’s political career on the international stage.

It also brought negative attention to Ivanka who was trolled for her alleged awkward behaviour in the video. While everyone one at the informal meet was an elected leader, Ivanka doesn’t hold any important diplomatic posts or qualifications, viewers commented.

They also pointed out that world leaders in the video, especially Christine Lagarde, seemed especially surprised that Ivanka was present in the informal meet. Many commented that Ivanka, who was seen standing at distance from the rest of the group, was snubbed by the others. They also commented on the look of disapproval on world leaders’ faces when Trump sat with her father amongst them, calling it a disapproval of nepotism.

An adviser to the president, Ivanka Trump has had important role in the present US administration, but the way she participated in recent Osaka G-20 Summit, and Trump’s Seoul visit has attracted criticism for breaching boundaries. In both the visits, Trump’s wife, Melania was absent.

An incident wherein during a photo-op in Seoul Secretary of State Mike Pompeo struggled to get in between Trump, South Korean President and his wife and Ivanka, until she realised and gave him space, further brought focus on her role.

Recently, Ivanka Trump attended multiple bilateral meetings at the G20 in Osaka. She was on stage with Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, delivering remarks on her Women's Global Development and Prosperity initiative. She also gave a readout of a trilateral meeting between the President, Indian President Narendra Modi and Abe, a responsibility traditionally carried out by a US national security staffer.

Previously, Ivanka Trump raised eyebrows when she briefly sat in for her father during one of the meetings with world leaders at the 2017 G20 summit in Hamburg.

"I found it fairly stunning that she had a seat at so many tables and was involved in so many bilateral policy discussions," said former Obama State Department spokesperson John Kirby. "It certainly doesn't help America's standing on the world's stage as a democratic representative government because she wasn't elected by anybody and hasn't been formally appointed to any position," he added.

The issue making rounds on social media sparked a debate on role of Jawaharlal Nehru in promoting his daughter Indira Gandhi as his successor.

Gandhi served as her father's personal assistant during his tenure as Prime Minister between 1947 and 1964. She was elected President of the Indian National Congress in 1959. Upon her father's death in 1964 she was appointed as a member of the Rajya Sabha (upper house) and became a member of Lal Bahadur Shastri's cabinet as Minister of Information and Broadcasting.

In the book Six Thousand Days, Amiya Rao and B.G. Rao, say that six months after Indira was nominated to the Working Committee, Nehru resigned from the powerful Central Parliamentary Board and nominated Indira Gandhi.

"He skillfully removed all the strong contenders to the post like Jagjivan Ram and Morarji Desai by making statements that Congress does not encourage people getting addicted to power. He kept people like Gulzarilal Nanda, who would not be a strong contender, but would be a stop gap arrangement. All of Nehru's actions indicated that he was promoting the dynasty, but it is strange that modern historians have no recollection of all these events," the book says.