PM Modi walks a diplomatic tightrope

Cataracts in the eye or eyes result in seeing the world as a blurry mist. Steering a vehicle through busy streets becomes even more of a challenge than it usually is. Clear sight is needed to successfully negotiate obstacles and get to a destination safely. Where foreign and domestic policy are concerned, a clear sight of the path to a given destination is needed, and in case this is not present, the vehicle and its occupants could find themselves in trouble. The clearest vision needed is in the case of trapeze artists, who need to manoeuvre carefully on a single wire as he or she crosses to the other side. In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is manoeuvring through a diplomatic trapeze walk, and only an individual with his experience and skills could carry it off safely. The steadiness of purpose, that of fixing on the prosperity of India through outreach with the rest of the world, was very much on display at the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, where the Prime Minister had one on one meetings with Iranian President Pezeskian despite being a close friend— indeed, partner—of the West. He had a cordial meeting with President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation, who travelled to the conference venue in the same car as the Prime Minister, despite the latter being a friend of the European Union, no admirer of Putin. At the SCO Summit, what grabbed the attention of policy makers in other parts of the world was the linking of hands by Prime Minister Modi with President Putin on one side and CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping on the other. The three giants of the Eurasian landmass were linked in apparent camaraderie because of the initiative taken by Prime Minister Modi to link the three leaders of the Eurasian giants, India, Russia and China, together. Such symbolism is at the core of Modiplomacy, a unique style of diplomacy that has been fashioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It has been made clear to those seeking a counter to the West that the earth is too small a planet for such divides, that all countries need to work together if the common good is to be realized in the foreseeable future. Neither the SCO nor BRICS ought to be viewed through such a prism of the Great Divide, but instead seek to find common ground not just for the member states but for the rest of the world as well. Countries ought not to be trapped in blocs but free to move around and into the blocs, getting advantage from such manoeuvring. Under Modi, the philosophy is clear. India is a country of 1.4 billion people with a Purchasing Power Parity GDP of 19 trillion US dollars. As Rabindranath Tagore wrote: 'Jodi tor dak shune keu na ashe, tabe ekla chalo re'. If no one listens to your call, walk alone. PM Modi believes India has the strength to walk alone if needed, but he would rather take along on the journey to mutual prosperity as many countries as he can. Meeting with the Iranian President was not to the liking of his 'good friend' President Donald Trump, but meet President Pezeskian he did. Meeting with Putin may raise eyebrows in the European Union, but PM Modi did so nevertheless. There is a confidence in the way he carries out such a reaching out to countries that are rivals of each other, and PM Modi is confident that the passage of time will show his was the correct path. He retorts to domestic critics with numbers as his argument. A higher rate of Gross Domestic Product growth than any other major economy. In the case of Pezeskian, the effort is to prevent an attack on tankers carrying energy supplies to India. In the case of Putin, energy is the focus. PM Modi knows that only a strong economic performance can carry him and the NDA to success in the coming Lok Sabha polls, as also the earlier polls in Uttar Pradesh. He is indeed the mainstay of the BJP and the Captain of the NDA, which he is attempting to steer to a fourth consecutive win in the Lok Sabha polls, including through his foreign policy initiatives. Were he to succeed, he would create political history in India. That indeed, is his image, a leader of historical proportions. Every move of his scripted to make that impulse within him a reality.