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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Narendra Modi plays bold, rewrites US ties
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Narendra Modi plays bold, rewrites US ties

India sets in motion a major overhaul of its foreign policy by signalling the end of policy of non-alignment

US President Barack Obama (left) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi record the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ show on Monday. Photo: PTIPremium
US President Barack Obama (left) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi record the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ show on Monday. Photo: PTI

New Delhi: US President Barack Obama on Tuesday concluded a three-day visit to India, but not before he set the stage for an unprecedented deepening of strategic and economic relations between the world’s oldest and the largest democracies.

In the process India set in motion a major overhaul of its foreign policy by formally signalling the end of the policy of non-alignment. It is consistent with the recalibration being undertaken by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in other sectors since it took over the helm last year, like it did by disbanding the 65-year-old Planning Commission—an idea, like the policy of non-alignment, honed by India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru of the Congress.

According to former foreign secretary Lalit Mansingh, “a new benchmark has been set" at the summit meeting between Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday.

“I don’t think any other summit can match this. What has emerged now under Prime Minister Modi is that he has pronounced the US as India’s principal strategic partner. He could do this as he carries no Cold War-era baggage. He has got rid of any ambiguity vis-à-vis the US in foreign policy."

Another former foreign policy wonk expressed caution.

Aligning with the US has positive consequences if India is looking at Western countries, but there are potential negative consequences too, said Kanwal Sibal, former foreign secretary.

“We need to see whether our overall interests are advanced by being in tandem with the US or served by a mix of lower key positions with the US and a degree of economic engagement with China. The US allies in the Western Pacific like Japan today are not confident of the US protecting their interests. So can we be certain that our interests can be met by aligning with the US when US-China relations are so strong?"

During the visit, the two sides were able to resolve longstanding irritants by operationalizing the landmark bilateral civil nuclear deal signed in 2008 and agreeing to co-produce some key military hardware. More importantly, the two signed a “friendship" pact outlining their joint vision for the Asia-Pacific and the Indian Ocean region.

On the trade front, Obama pledged $4 billion in investments and loans, seeking to release what he called the “untapped potential" of a business and strategic partnership between the world’s largest democracies. Both countries agreed to work out disputes over intellectual property rights.

India only accounts for 2% of US imports and 1% of its exports, Obama said. While annual bilateral trade had reached $100 billion, that is less than one-fifth of US trade with India’s neighbour, China. The US has been calling for a five-fold increase in trade with India in the next few years.

The visit saw an enormous display of symbolism—the centrepiece of which was the participation of Obama as the chief guest at India’s Republic Day—and a display of personal friendship between the US President and the Indian Prime Minister.

This bonding extended to the final day of the Obama visit with the airing of Modi’s radio show, Mann ki Baat, which also saw the participation of the US President. Not only was a US president participating as the chief guest at a Republic Day for the first time, Obama also became the first to take part in a radio show in India. During Modi’s visit to the US in September last year, the two leaders had published a joint opinion piece in The Washington Post.

The 32-minute radio show saw both reiterating their commitment to chart a new course in the relationship between the two countries. Till Atal Bihari Vajpayee, heading the first NDA regime, effected an abrupt change of course in policy, the relationship between the two countries veered between frostiness and hostility.

In his introductory remarks, Obama said that both India and US were great democracies, innovative economies, and diverse societies dedicated to empowering individuals.

The US President emphasised that he wanted to partner with India to reduce poverty and lift people up, to empower women, to provide access to electricity and clean energy and invest in infrastructure and the education system.

Unlike their bilateral engagements on the previous two days, both Obama and Modi chose to focus on social concerns articulated by curious listeners. Emphasising the importance of gender balance, Obama said, “Every woman should be able to go about her day—to walk the street, or ride the bus—and be safe and be treated with the respect and dignity that she deserves." Their references come in the context of some very high-profile instances of violence against women. One such instance of rape against a young woman training as a paramedic in New Delhi in December 2012 made headlines across India and the world because of the brutal nature of the crime.

Modi, who recently launched a campaign to save and educate the girl child in Haryana, which has the worst sex ratio among India’s states, also spoke about the issue.

“For every 1,000 boys, the number of girls is less. And the main reason for this is that there is a defect in our attitudes towards boys and girls... In our country too, I meet many families who have only daughters. And they bring up their daughters with such pride, give them such respect, that is the biggest inspiration. I believe that inspiration is our strength. And in response to your question, I would like to say, to save the girl child, to educate the girl child, this is our social duty, cultural duty, and humanitarian responsibility. We should honour it."

Significantly, Obama drew upon personal experiences to highlight the pitfalls of prejudice—racial or religious. He had spoken similarly earlier in the day at the town hall meeting that he addressed at Siri Fort.

“There have been times where my faith has at times been questioned by people who don’t know me, or they’ve said that I adhere to a different religion, as if that were somehow a bad thing," Obama said.

Again, delving into his personal experience as a black American, the US president said while he has had extraordinary opportunities, “there were moments in my life where I’ve been treated differently because of the colour of my skin".

However, the President potentially courted controversy by his comments on religious tolerance. “India will succeed so long as it is not splintered along lines of religious faith, so long as it is not splintered along any lines."

The comments are significant because they come in the backdrop of the US administration, including that led by Obama, denying a visa for Modi to visit the US when he served as the chief minister of Gujarat due to his alleged role in the 2002 communal riots in the state.

Obama and his wife Michelle Obama left New Delhi shortly after mid-day at the end of their second visit to India in four years. The US president had been due to visit the Taj Mahal on Tuesday, but cut short the trip to pay his respects to the former Saudi king Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who died last week..

A farewell message posted by Modi on the microblogging site Twitter read:" Farewell @WhiteHouse! Your visit has taken India-USA ties to a new level & opened a new chapter. Wish you a safe journey."

In response Obama posted : “Thank you @NarendraModi for a memorable visit, and to the Indian people for their warm welcome. #India –bo" (sic) on Twitter shortly before his departure.

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Published: 28 Jan 2015, 12:12 AM IST
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