India First: Brahma Chellaney, Yash Sinha and Raj Chengappa
On India First, Gaurav Sawant hosts strategic thinker Professor Brahma Chellaney, former diplomat Ambassador Yash Sinha, and India Today Group Editorial Director Raj Chengappa to evaluate the trajectory of India-US ties under the Trump administration. Chellaney warns of an institutional reset in Washington, noting that 'there is a calculated downgrading of India in US strategy' driven by a rethink after China's rise. Sinha highlights the purely transactional nature of the bilateral engagement, pointing to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to Jamnagar and Washington's push for India to process Venezuelan crude. Meanwhile, Chengappa shares insights from his interaction with Rubio regarding trade negotiations, tariff predictability, and global energy dynamics. The experts unpack the broader implications of US defence equipment supplies, military tech holdups, and how New Delhi must navigate strategic autonomy in an increasingly transactional global order.