Domestic train-wreck aside, President

and his administration are showering

gifts on New Delhi this week, publicly showcasing

’s strong support for India in the geo-political sphere amid troubled ties and times in the neighborhood and beyond.

Trump himself led from the front by hosting a Diwali celebration in the White House on Tuesday in an event that implicitly celebrated his right-wing kinship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi while explicitly recognizing India as ''the home of the Hindu faith.''

''The Lighting of the Diya is typically celebrated by families in their homes. Today, we proudly celebrate this holiday in THE PEOPLE’S HOUSE. In so doing, we reaffirm that Indian-Americans and Hindu-Americans are truly cherished, treasured and beloved members of our great American FAMILY,'' Trump said in brief remarks at the White House, surrounded by a few prominent Indian-Americans of Republican persuasion, including his cabinet colleague

and senior staff members.

Trump’s celebration of Diwali in the White House, albeit low-key and confirmed only at the last minute, was all the more striking because he had pointedly broke a two-decade long Presidential tradition by not hosting an Id-ul-Fitr celebrations earlier this year leading to some disquiet not only in the Muslim community but also among ultra-liberals in the U.S. Although there was nothing like the Iftar dinner that accompanied the Diwali event, the White House seldom celebrated the Indian festival of light with the President in attendance, except for one year when President

lit a diya and sat through Hindu invocations.

There was also a resumption of U.S drone attacks in the Af-Pak region this week, with a series of four drone strikes on Tuesday killing more than 30 people in Pakistan’s Kurram region that adjoins Afghanistan, following the rescue of a Canadian-American couple taken hostage by the Pakistan-backed Haqqani group.

Thr Trump tilt towards a Hinduised India was also accompanied by a strong endorsement of ties with India by his ambassador to the U.N Nikki

(who is herself a Sikhni) and who went as far as telling a Washington think-tank on Tuesday that ''India can help the US keep an eye on Pakistan'' as Washington presses Islamabad to forsake terrorism.

But it was Trump’s comfortable embrace of a right-wing, Hinduised idea of India that was quite striking and eloquent. Calling India, the home of the Hindu faith, and commending the people of India for building the world’s largest democracy, Trump said he greatly values his ''very strong relationship with Prime Minister Modi'' while commending the ''extraordinary contributions'' to art, science, medicine, business and education, of Indian-Americans.

''Today, we proudly celebrate this holiday in THE PEOPLE’S HOUSE. In so doing, we reaffirm that Indian-Americans and Hindu-Americans are truly cherished, treasured and beloved members of our great American FAMILY,'' Trump said, seeming to identify Hindu-Americans separately from other Indian-Americans.

In her address at an event organised by US India Friendship Council, Trump's envoy to the U.N also left little doubt that ties with New Delhi were now in a different league altogether after President Trump has ''taken tougher approach to Islamabad harboring terrorists.''

''America's overriding interest in Afghanistan and throughout

are to eliminate terrorist safe havens that threaten us. And to keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of terrorists, we will use all the elements of our national power economic diplomatic and military to pursue these goals,'' Haley said, adding that "Pakistan has been a partner to the US at times. We value and respect that. But, we cannot tolerate this government or any other government giving safe haven to terrorists who target Americans.''

Haley, increasingly spoken of as an understudy and possible replacement for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson should he quit, said the Trump administration’s new approach to the region will require understanding and restraint from both Pakistan and India, but suggested New Delhi will have a monitoring role in helping Washington determine that Pakistan has given up using terrorist groups.

Secretary Tillerson is also expected to make a major policy speech on India later on Wednesday.