Within whatever intellectual traditions the Hindu right claims, those who speak for it have always been fans of Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Margaret Thatcher, Israel, the War on Terror, the Clash of Civilisations and so on. Barack Hussein Obama II is not on their list of world statesmen to be admired and would in their view of the universe be a subaltern figure with too many liberal postures and a “half Muslim-type name”. As a BJP pundit put it, “Obama’s the sort of figure you chattering classes like.” (Why, he’s even hosted six iftar dinners, a pseudo-secular tradition our NaMo has put a swift end to!)