BEWARE CHINA! IT IS NOT 1962, BUT PM MODI’S BHARAT OF 2023: Dr CHANDRA

Dr Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Bharat24-Vision of New India and First India; CMD, First India News lays bare the benefit to India of Modi’s six-day US and Egypt visit, how Foreign Minister S Jaishankar played a pivotal role in making the trip a success, how Modi’s core team, which includes NSA Ajit Doval, is the best there can be and how this visit has given India the momentum to curtail Chinese expansionism. Excerpts… (Part-II)

• What gift has PM Modi brought from America to his home state Gujarat?
  Dr Jagdeesh Chandra: His heart resides in Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, in Gujarat state and that is a fact. He has ruled the state for so many years and everyone is aware of the fact that the people of Gujarat love him immensely. When he was the Chief Minister, I used to observe that so many projects used to come to the state and it was always maintained that if there needs to be industrial development, then there is the ‘Single window system’ of Narendra Modi, be it Tata or any other company. Now, he is the Prime Minister and has got the chance to do much more and in Gujarat, execution is better and there are minimal hurdles. He has brought India’s first semiconductor plant in Gujarat and this is just the beginning. Gujarat is set to welcome a Google Fintech Operation Centre in GIFT City and this is going to be a trailblazer in the fintech landscape of the country. You will see that in the next few years, Gujarat will be India’s number one business capital. This is a matter of pride for not just Gujaratis, but for Indians.

• Whom would you like to give credit for the excellent administrative arrangements made during the Prime Minister’s visit to America and Egypt?
  See, the credit goes to the team of PMO and Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar. This team, which comprises of four individuals is extremely strong. It has Ajit Doval, PK Mishra, S Jaishankar and Hiren Joshi and this is the core group. Perhaps Joshi wasn’t there this time around as he had visited earlier, but the other three were there. So, this is a well-knit team of experts in their respective domains. Also, it is worth noting that the Foreign Minister has started attacking politically also. He is trying to change his profile of that of a ‘bureaucrat’ to a ‘politician.’ When he was given the responsibility, people were surprised that an officer of the Indian Foreign Services has been chosen as the Foreign Minister. However, it is for everyone to see that this experiment of Modi has proven to be a great success. Earlier, media management used to be a problem when our representatives went abroad, but this time, media control was superb. There is perfect tuning and coordination & the planning for the visit was impeccable. And I would say that Modi is lucky to have this team.

• How do you see S Jaishankar’s role in these recent foreign visits of PM Modi?
  First, he maintains a low profile. Secondly, he has good grasp over the nuances of foreign relations. Thirdly, he enjoys complete faith and trust of PM Modi. His coordination with Ajit Doval is seamless and this is vital for security. The arrangements during this visit were closely handled by him. If I have to rate him, I would say he is category one Foreign Minister of India. He is outstanding.

• What was the controversy around former President Obama during this visit?
  It was unfortunate. What was the need for Obama to come out with such a statement? But he did and said that Modi government has failed to protect the rights of Muslim minorities in India. Obama should have considered the repercussions of such controversial remarks. Modi has millions of followers in India and abroad. People admire him to the point of fanaticism and there must be at least 10 to 12 crore men, women and children that fall in this category. Obama’s remarks hurt this huge number of people.
  The Government of India took cognizance of it and said that such a statement is irresponsible and also the timing of these controversial remarks was questioned. Then Rajnath Singh and Nirmala Sitharaman took on Obama and lashed out at him, stressing that his government bombed six Muslim majority nations with 26,000 bombs. Thus, it was very clearly conveyed that you have no moral authority to question Modi over the treatment of Muslims in India. Although some people thought that the matter was blown out of proportions, but at the end of the day, Obama is history now. When Modi has Biden standing next to him and seeking his autograph, then Obama’s remarks bear no consequence. In fact, people even said that smart diplomacy also requires listening and not paying heed. So, it was Obama’s viewpoint and he had it back from Modi’s team.

• What is your assessment of the visit of an Indian Prime Minister to Egypt?
  Modi’s state visit to Egypt was superb and it was also the first bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister in 26 years. Modi has always worked towards staying close and connected with nations that have enjoyed deep-rooted cultural ties with India since the ancient times. Egypt extended a special invite to Modi and we did read in school how Egyptian civilization and our Indus valley civilization are of the same time- period. Egypt is a growing nation and Modi was looking forward to this visit. Egyptian President ElSisi was invited as the ‘State Guest’ of India for India’s 74th Republic Day and this was extremely symbolic. Thereafter, our Defence Minister and Foreign Minister also visited Cairo. Agreements have been signed regarding agriculture, archaeology and it is indeed a matter of pride that Egypt honoured PM Modi with its highest civilian honour. Well, Modi showed a very heart warming gesture by visiting the 1,000 year old Al-Hakim Mosque in Cairo, which was also recently restored with the help of India’s Bohra’s community. The BJP is also intensely reaching out to the Bohra and Pasmanda Muslim communities in India. So, of course, there was a connect and it was a successful visit.

• Impressed by American technology, can he use any new technology in his party’s election campaign in the coming days? After all, how did America agree to share its technology with India?
  See, answering your second question, everyone salutes the rising sun. Narendra Modi today, it seems, has been given the power of an ‘Attorney’ by Biden and Modi can get anything done from the USA. But the point is that there are mutual interests. They must have thought that this move will help them, so they did it. It is a moment of pride for India. Regarding your first question, Narendra Modi’s electoral ideation is excellent. The manner in which he has used digital media for campaigning and even for nation building is in front of everyone. I have heard that Information & Broadcasting Ministry has taken out a tender related to Artificial Intelligence and when it goes through, new companies would come and work on it. Meanwhile, BJP, at the party level, is using AI in such a way that senior leaders won’t even know what hit them! Such would be the attacks that the Opposition leaders won’t know how to defend themselves. Thus, these leaders would be engrossed in combating these attacks while the old cases of ED and CBI would continue, and keep them busy. Above all, there is the everpresent, omnipotent narrative of Modi’s India being a ‘Vishwa Guru’ and a powerful nation, and this has no match. We must all remember that the next general elections would be contested on the digital platform, in a way.

• What is the message of this visit to the international community?
  The message is that Modi has become a ‘Global leader.’ This message has two aspects – one is for ‘friendly’ nations, and the other for ‘not so friendly’ nations. For Pakistan and China, it means that they should fear Modi and not try to cross threshold limits with India. It is not the India of 1962, it is the India of 2023. This is Narendra Modi’s India that will strike back and America will be on India’s side. This USA visit is an important milestone. On the other hand, other nations of the world are looking towards India and seeking friendship with Modi for better trade and economic relations. They would get investment opportunities, as other nations have reached a point of saturation and India is still considered a ‘virgin economy.’ Therefore, the message is that the entire world wants to be friends with Modi’s India so that it is a ‘Win-Win’ situation for all.

• It was believed that India’s traditional foreign policy towards China had reached it’s tipping point. Will this Modi-Biden bonhomie be successful in stopping China’s expansionism in South Asia?
  Both of these things are correct. Firstly, you spoke about foreign policy. Modi has redefined and re-drafted the country’s foreign policy. How is that? Today our policies are based around what is beneficial to us as a nation. Let’s take the example of India’s economic benefit. If it is to our advantage to purchase crude oil from Russia, then we will do so. We will not worry about what USA or Europe will say about Ukraine. Earlier, we used to worry a lot about offending the USA. But it is no longer the case. India’s interests come first. The United States too has given up its staunch stand and said that it is our personal choice. This has happened for the first time and credit goes to Modi for India’s strong, firm and at the same time, warm positioning in matters of foreign policy, be it with any nation in the world. Secondly, you asked about China. China is a problem for India and the US as well and now, both the countries have come together. Of course, this does not imply that they will be aggressive with China, but this means that they will not come under pressure. See, sometime when two powerful entities engage with each other, two enemies may also become close friends. Therefore, India has been at the advantage that China’s expansionism in South China Sea or in Arunachal, has sustained a shock as a moral influence has come to India’s side to stop this expansionism.

During the show #JConBossIsBack trended top All-India on Twitter