Opinion Defensive no more
At UN, Modi hints at a more innovative and assured approach on multilateral issues.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared to be on a political roll in New York over the weekend. He chatted with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and addressed the UN General Assembly for the first time. A spectacular reception was planned for him by the Indian-American community on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
He underlined India’s shared interests with the US on combating violent extremism by visiting the memorial for the victims of 9/11, connected with leaders from India’s neighbouring countries and met American mayors and governors.
Modi is widely seen in America as India’s most credible international interlocutor since Rajiv Gandhi, with the political will to turn India’s long talked about economic and strategic potential into reality. But the visit to the US has also touched on Modi’s Achilles heel: his controversial past in Gujarat.
The outpouring of enthusiasm for him within the Indian-American community has overshadowed the smaller protest demonstrations against the PM but Modi’s critics in America are not going away. Some of them have persuaded local courts to issue summons to him, citing his role during the 2002 Gujarat riots.
As India’s internal divisions manifest themselves in America, Washington has made it clear that Modi enjoys absolute immunity during his visit to the US. If America’s political leadership is ready to embrace Modi, its business elite is eager to be persuaded that India is back in business; neither is interested in digging up his past.
At the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Modi refused to be drawn into a verbal brawl with Pakistan’s Nawaz Sharif who referred to the mid-20th century UN call for a plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir a day before. Modi, instead, reaffirmed his desire for a dialogue with Pakistan and reminded Islamabad of its responsibility to create the right atmosphere.
More importantly, he chose to focus on his larger foreign policy vision. Modi’s UN speech has set the stage for a more productive engagement with the world by discarding India’s recent defensiveness on multilateral issues — from terrorism to trade, and climate change to global commons. On all these, Modi has hinted at more innovative approaches on Delhi’s part if the US is ready to address India’s genuine concerns.
Flexibility and pragmatism rooted in extraordinary self-assurance should stand Modi in good stead when he arrives Monday evening in Washington for his dinner date with Obama.
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