View: India under PM Modi’s watch claims rightful place in the world

In an interview to an Indian news agency, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar, said that the G-20 summit is a collective exercise and indicated that India will not be giving preference to the United States over others during the multilateral summit. In this context, he said: “ Look, we are India. We know how to handle the world. Believe me, especially in the last 10 years we have shown how we can handle the world.”

If quoted out of context, the EAM’s statement could be interpreted as an expression of self-confidence bordering, perhaps, on arrogance. But the statement is significant, even when taken out of the ambit of G-20 summit. Many key decisions taken by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi during his tenure have contributed to this global confidence in India. The net assessment is that during his past nine-year tenure, India has reduced its vulnerabilities significantly and added to its self-confidence as it forges ahead to become the number three economy in the world, overtaking Germany and Japan.

While pessimists will predict a bear run on India’s future, the fact is that PM Modi has been able to inspire confidence and belief among the people of Bharat that India was taking strong strides to become a developed nation before 2047. The G-20 summit on the heels of the landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the south pole of the moon and the launch of the Aditya solar mission all project the soft power of India. They convey the victory of democracy under Modi’s India.

Even though many in the Opposition will counter this narrative by pointing to poverty and economic disparity in India, the rapid and sustained economic growth will start reducing the gap soon. That India is finally punching in the middle-weight category rather than being clubbed with a failed state Pakistan (as in the past) goes to the credit of the NDA government.

So how did Modi’s India reduce its vulnerability and pressure points vis-à-vis global powers?

• By removing the temporary Article 370 on August 5, 2019, and publishing the full map of the two Union Territories (UTs) on November 2, 2019 showing the Indian territory from occupied Aksai Chin to occupied Kashmir and Northern Areas, the Modi government has taken out Kashmir as a leverage point or pressure point for contesting powers. Today, the UTs of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are bustling with Indian and foreign tourists and the dark days of Islamic jihad waged by Pakistan's deep state are slowly dissipating.
• By countering the challenge of cross-border terrorism from Pakistan head-on and setting aside the Islamabad and West-promoted nuclear flashpoint theory, the Modi government has significantly reduced the threat from pan-Islamic jihadi outfits and put the fear of Indian retaliation into Pakistan’s rabid anti-India civilian and military leaders after the 2016 surgical strikes and 2019 Balakot air strike into the heart of Pakistan. The Indian counter has been also helped by the grave economic and political crisis in Pakistan today with jihadis of Tehreek-e-Taliban, Pakistan coming home to roost in Khyber-Paktunkhwa and Northern Areas.
• By standing up militarily to Chinese belligerence in Doklam in 2017 and in East Ladakh in May 2020 without any support from either the West or the so-called European powers, the Modi government has sent a clear message to Beijing that the way to normal ties is through resolution of boundary issues. While the entire West, including the EU, have stood against Russia, and rightly so, for invasion of Ukraine, no one barring stray noises from the US, has said a singke word against China for its LAC transgressions in East Ladakh. The West and South-east Asian tiger economies are confused over their stand on Taiwan with Chinese military aircraft daily violating the airspace of an independent nation that was never under Mandarin China.
• By taking the side of peace on the Ukraine war with PM Modi telling Russian President Vladimir Putin upfront that this was not the time for war. Despite the knowledge that Ukraine had close defence cooperation with Pakistan, India chose a strategic autonomous position on the Ukraine war and continues to bat for peace and negotiations to end the war ravaging east Europe from February 2022.
• By supplying vaccines to the Global South including neighborhood and African countries when the Covid-19 pandemic was sweeping the globe, destroying lives and economies of the countries. A number of smaller countries were gifted vaccines and others provided in their time of need.

While PM Modi will be holding around 15 bilateral meetings during the G-20 summit, not all meetings will be all sweetness and light as the Indian leader will take up issues concerning his country. Watch out for the meeting between PM Modi and Canada PM Justin Trudeau.