A historic third term for Prime Minister Modi

CHICAGO: Despite the slight electoral setback, Mr Modi appears determined to continue his economic reform agenda and raise India's international profile.

A HISTORIC NIGHT

THE Tritiya (third day) crescent moon of Shukla Paksha (waxing moon) shone brightly in the light Jyeshtha sky on June 9 above the Raisina Hills in New Delhi as Narendra Damodardas Modi, the elected Pradhan Mantri of the Republic of Bharat, stood to take the oath of office and secrecy. It was a historic evening that the much maligned chaiwalawrote one of my JNU alumni acharyas in response to my Facebook post, I was sworn in for the third time as Prime Minister of the largest democracy. It gives goosebumps!!!

It was indeed a historic day. A few days ago, on the evening of June 3, most members of the diaspora were glued to their favorite streaming devices at home and numerous viewing parties. It was already the morning of June 4 in India, and the 2024 Lok Sabha election trends were beginning to be felt. By midnight Chicago time, it became clear that, defying predictions of an exit poll, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would not be able to reach the majority mark in the Lok Sabha on its own ( LS).

However, the victory of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was never in doubt. When the dust has settled on the long term, grueling elections in seven phasesthe NDA had won 293 seats in the Lok Sabha, 543 members, before the threshold of 272 seats required to form a government. The years 2014 and 2019 were big electoral victories for Mr. Modi, which normalized his supporters' expectations of a huge victory. However, in an increasingly competitive and diverse democracy like India, such victories are an anomaly and not a rule. After all, only communist despots and dictators win elections consistently and unanimously.

It was not the night the BJP and its supporters had hoped for. However, Mr. Modi defeated his 10 consecutive years in power. He also overcame the combined opposition of international media, academia, think tanks, NGOs, etc. And above all, Mr. Modi and his BJP defeated the concerted interference of foreign agents and actors who had ganged up against his government.

OVERCOMING WESTERN MEDIA PROPAGANDA

Ramesh Rao, professor of communications at Columbus State University in the United States, offers a detailed account coverage of Indian elections by some of the major Western media outlets. While Al Jazeera, the Hamas-supporting propaganda arm of the Qatari royal family, used every tactic and strategy in its playbook to undermine the Modi government and portray the BJP and Modi as harassers of Muslims, Hindu supremacists and manipulators upper castes, the Associated Press carried numerous front-page reports on attacks on Muslims in the weeks leading up to the general election. These forces, according to Rao, present a clear danger to the idea of ​​India as a Hindu nation.

Modi's decade has sparked a Hindu renaissance in India. For Mr. Modi and his supporters, Walter Russell Mead writes in his Wall Street Journal column, [i]It is not enough to send the British to liberate India, but to put Hindu civilization back at the center of Indian cultural and political life.

Maura Moynihan, a journalist, author and artist based in New York, is surprised by the anti-Indian rhetoric in Western media. Why does Western media insult and belittle democratic India while praising the CCP's totalitarian dictatorship? Moynihan wondered. Indian citizens held the largest exercise of democratic voting rights in the world. Meanwhile, people in communist China have no such rights. However, it is Indian democracy that is being questioned by Western media.

US-INDIA RELATIONSHIP IN MODI 3.0

Despite this slight electoral setback, Mr. Modi appears determined to pursue his economic reform agenda and advance India's international profile. He promised a new chapter in big decisions. He retained most of his eminent ministers, including Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman and S. Jaishankar.

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modis, India's international profile and geopolitical clout have increased significantly. India has also clearly oriented itself towards the West, even if it maintains its multipolar neutrality. In doing so, India has pushed back against vassalization efforts by real or perceived global superpowers. India was also quick to rebuff chatter from a NATO Plus pushed by a US Congressional committee. Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar rejected this offer and declared: The NATO model does not apply to India.

Although he disagrees with the United States on the conflict in Ukraine and the issue of purchasing Russian oil and weapons, Mr. Modi has managed to manage this complex situation well. In the past, says TV Paul (The unfinished quest: India seeks major power status, from Nehru to Modi), professor of international relations at McGill University, Montreal, Canada, such an act would have led to automatic sanction from the United States. By not sanctioning India, Washington recognizes India as a higher status state.

Mr. Modi's state visit to Washington, DC, and his joint address to the US Congress were milestones in US-India relations. US President Joe Biden's subsequent visit to New Delhi to attend the G20 meeting showcased the growing partnership between the US and India, given the challenges in the Indo-Pacific region. In 2022, the Biden administration signed a joint initiative on critical and emerging technologies with the Modi government. India is a crucial country Ally of the United States to counter China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific.

In both the United States and India, there is bipartisan consensus on the bilateral partnership, said Akhil Ramesh of the Pacific Forum, a US-based think tank. Hinting at a possible return of former President Donald Trump to the White House, Ramesh said any political change in Washington or the minor change we witnessed in New Delhi would not negatively affect the US-India partnership.

The bonhomie between Mr. Biden and Mr. Modi was visible in the two leaders' exchange on X after Mr. Biden's phone call to Mr. Modi following his election victory. One of the major disappointments among India watchers was that neither Mr. Trump's campaign nor the Republican Party made any congratulatory remarks for Mr. Modi's third term.

AMBASSADORAL APPOINTMENTS

One of Mr. Modi's key tasks would be to appoint an ambassador to the United States (and other countries), a position vacant since Ambassador Taranjit Sandhu resigned earlier this year. For key ambassadorial assignments, Mr. Modi should take a cue from the American model and appoint a seasoned politician, not a bureaucrat. Of course, this proposal carries obvious risks. However, they can't be worse than what we have.

Throughout history, Dharma, not militarism or expansionism, has been the fundamental philosophy of Indian diplomacy. Although this option has never been banned, it has not been given priority either.

According to Harrold Nicolson, a British politician and diplomat, differences between the theory and practice of diplomatic norms are caused by variations in national character, traditions and requirements. To this end, India needs culturally grounded, dynamic, public relations savvy and proactive emissaries in key foreign countries, especially the United States. For example, the management by the Indian embassy and its consulates of attacks on Hindu temples and Indian consulates by the Khalistanis, series of deaths of Indian students or of Indian origin, etc., has been far from being desirable. They have also done little or nothing to counter the growing tide of Hinduphobia on American campuses.

The author is an award-winning columnist based in Chicago.