India, Aug. 31 -- It's time to address a question that's been staring us in the face. Is President Trump being vindictive towards India? Has he got it in for our country? Because if the answer is yes, it's a far more worrying situation that we face than we first thought. Vice-president JD Vance has said that 25% secondary tariffs have been imposed on India for importing Russian oil as "aggressive economic leverage" on Russia to stop the Ukraine war. Doesn't that suggest India is collateral damage, and President Trump doesn't care what happens to our country? Indeed, if the objective is "aggressive economic leverage" on Russia, how come China, which imports more oil than India, has not had secondary tariffs imposed on it? In fact, in China's case, US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said it's okay for China to keep importing Russian oil because that prevents inflation in global energy prices. Isn't this double standards? A case of one logic for China and quite another for India? But it's worse. Scott Bessent, the treasury secretary, has accused India of funding Russia's Ukraine war and wants Europe to also impose sanctions on India. Peter Navarro, Trump's trade advisor, says India is threatening America's national security by buying Russian oil, and the intention is to "hit India where it hurts." He now calls the Ukraine war "Modi's war", claiming "the road to peace runs through New Delhi". Whilst Trump himself has said he doesn't care if India's "dead" economy sinks. Doesn't this feel vindictive and vengeful? George Friedman, the former chairman of Stratfor, suggests there's a second sense in which India could be collateral damage. In a recent podcast, he says the 50% tariffs are also intended by Trump as a message to China, with whom he wants to do a deal. Friedman claims the message is America is not siding with India against you. In the larger geopolitical scheme, Trump has in mind, which prioritises Russia and China, India is "dispensable". If Friedman is right, India has been used to send a message to Russia, and it's been used to send a very different message to China. Either way, India suffers, and Trump, it seems, doesn't care. However, the predicament we face goes beyond tariffs, oil and geopolitics. The Trump Administration is also targeting the bedrock of India-US ties, people-to-people relations. Commerce secretary Howard Lutnick says he wants to change the H1B visa programme. That could adversely affect the 70% beneficiaries who are Indian. The department of homeland security intends to restrict student visas to four years. That could constrict Indian students, the biggest cohort of foreign students in America. Meanwhile, Trump's considering admitting 600,000 Chinese students, almost three times the present number! In these circumstances, what should we make of Sergio Gor's appointment as the new US ambassador to India? There's no doubt he's very close to Trump and has his ear. On the other hand, he has no diplomatic experience and no prior understanding of India. Most people fear he'll race down Trump's chosen path without pausing to caution or suggest alternatives. That can't be a welcome prospect for us. Gor has also been appointed special envoy for South and Central Asia. What does this unusual step suggest? Is it an indication of the sort of hyphenation India resents? Perhaps the start of an attempt to mediate between India and Pakistan? I'm beginning to fear this is an onslaught. India is being picked upon at many levels and in multiple ways. We've clearly fallen out of Trump's favour. He seems upset, possibly angry, with us. But is there a constituency in America that's willing to stand up for India and tell Trump he's making a terrible mistake? No doubt there are audible democratic protests, but none from within the MAGA world. More disturbingly, I haven't heard any from the Indian expatriate community. So are we being hung out to dry? I don't have a clear answer. But doesn't it feel like that?...