Narendra Damordardas Modi has been the best ever Foreign Policy setter as Prime Minister that India has had (so far), after the Nehru-Nasser “non-alignment” movement.
His might has increased manifold by getting the Global South behind India-Modi. Make no mistake, his personality has a lot to do with this huge advantage that India now enjoys, again.
Recognising this, even the obdurate USA has turned around from “pressure to pleaseing” India-Modi!
Nehru even once self-mockingly claimed that he was the “Last Englishman to rule India”, as per some quotes.
If that’s true, then Modi is the “First Indian to rule the Global South!”
The astonishing developments in Global influence, strategic defence ties and avoiding any “Allignment” at the same time is one of Modi’s remarkable achievements.
The Economic Management of the country is not as brilliant as Modi’s Foreign Policy achieevements. EAM Jaishankar should get credit for executing Modi’s vision almost to perfection. This is no mean achievement in 9 years. No-Brainer: It pays to appoint professionals in each domain as respective Ministers.
What has been an equally dismal perforrmance of Modi lies in the vast domestic management domain. His Home Minister hasn’t scored high marks.
Urgent reforms in Land Ownership, Judiciary, Law & Order machinery, Agri reforms (MSP, etc), UCC, etc (long list) have been set aside by favouring less urgent and more controversial agenda of Majoritarianism. Even here, the stated objective of freeing Hindu Temples of all Govt controls lies in the waste paper basket titled “Election Jhumlas”.
While politicians need to ensure they deliver votes in every election, the loss of States by the BJP has been the result of this lack of attention to long time, old manifesto promises. Thus causing even ardent BJP supporters to fall away due to the constant din of the opposition on the Modi Governemnt’s “incompetence”. And maybe even aggravating it via dubious subterfuge.
Thus, election 2024 becomes a choice of the “Long View”.
Not one “Leader” in the opposition attracts any admiration. And India has seen many times over, that hotch-potch politically weak governments never last and worse still, cannot reform anything. Instead, the UPA was mired in huge corruption scams that no one will forget!
Given the way the Opposition fights the fights where they ought to support in the national interest, they attack good policies. It has done little to convice the politically aware that there’s any hope if they capture powr in Delhi!
Yes, this sounds like TINA (There Is No Alternative) doesn’t it?
For 2024 at least, Modi is our best bet. Hopefully he’ll complete delivering the many unfulfilled promises he’s made since the 2013 campaign. Otherwise his legacy won’t reflect the true scale of his achievements.
@jsvasan