As NDA is all set to form the new government at the centre under the leadership of PM Modi, all eyes will be on BJP’s ability to deftly manage its alliance partners and work out a common minimum agenda that keeps all alliance partners happy, and yet doesn’t compromise on BJP’s core values.
A radical overhaul in Bharat’s foreign policy has been a major highlight of the 10 years of governance of the Modi government. Under the astute diplomacy of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Bharat seems to have decisively come out of its indecisiveness and meek attitude in the context of its foreign policy framework, especially concerning Bharat’s equation with Western countries.
The second stint of the Modi government specially has been defined by a proactive and decisive Bharat that has repeatedly talked tough with the West regarding its hypocrisy and double standards and boldly charted its own independent course without surrendering to the West’s bullying tactics, on many issues, be it the issue of Russia-Ukraine war or the issue of oil import from Russia.
Bharat has decisively led the global South, be it the decision of historical inclusion of African Union in the G-20 as a permanent member during Bharat’s hosting of the G-20 Summit in 2023 or enhancing cooperation with the global South on other issues. Bharat has also represented the collective voice of the global South at the UN, championing the need for strong and long-lasting reforms to reflect the priorities of the fast-changing geopolitical order.
With the Modi government all set to make a comeback for a third time under the banner of NDA, all eyes will be also on Bharat’s foreign policy. Will the contours of Bharat’s foreign policy remain the same during Modi 3.0? Or will there be a radical change in Bharat’s foreign policy, considering it will be a coalition government running the country since the BJP has been unable to secure an absolute majority on its own?
The picture will be clearer once the new government takes the oath, and we will have more clarity on cabinet portfolio allocation. Hopefully, S Jaishankar will retain the External Affairs Minister portfolio because he has been decisive in changing the course of Bharat’s foreign policy for good. I personally feel the presence of other alliance partners will not have a major impact on the Modi government’s foreign policy as such, since these are local parties, and their interests are concerned with internal politics. It seems highly unlikely the alliance partners will make unreasonable demands that can have major repercussions for Bharat’s interests on the world stage.
Prime Minister Modi’s personal popularity amongst world leaders also has a decisive role to play when it comes to the continuum of Bharat’s foreign policy during Modi 3.0. The PM has been greeted by more than 70 world leaders since the election results came out in the public domain with BJP emerging as the single largest party and its coalition NDA comfortably crossing the majority mark for government formation.
Neighboring countries of Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, etc. were among the first to congratulate PM Modi. In fact, the first world leader to congratulate him was Pravin Kumar Jugnauth, the Prime Minister of Mauritius. The second world leader to congratulate PM Modi was Bhutan’s Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay. Italy was the first Western nation to convey greetings to PM Modi over the victory of the BJP and NDA. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote on X, “Congratulations to Narendra Modi on the new electoral victory and my warmest wishes for good work. Certain that we will continue to work together to strengthen the friendship that unites Italy and India and consolidate cooperation on the various issues that bind us, for the well-being of our Nations and our peoples.
Later on, as things became clearer and NDA’s coalition partners confirmed and reaffirmed their support for the Modi government, the Heads of other Western nations including France, Germany, the UK, the US, Russia, Ukraine, Austria, Sweden, Denmark Norway, Cyprus, Greece, etc. PM Modi was also congratulated by Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and Taiwan President Lai Ching-te.
The Taiwanese President extending greetings to PM Modi in his official capacity assumes significance since Bharat officially follows the One China Policy, it technically doesn’t recognize Taiwan as an independent country. But Taiwan has been recently deepening engagement with Bharat at various levels and the new Taiwanese President reaching out to PM Modi to congratulate him shows the kind of importance Bharat occupies for Taiwan in the context of its equation with Beijing.
Most importantly, apart from leaders of other major nations like Saudi Arabia, Israel, UAE, etc, leaders of numerous small nations from Africa and the Caribbean congratulated PM Modi before the greetings from Western nations started pouring in, thus reaffirming the success of Bharat’s foreign policy priorities regarding deepening engagement with the global south.
Heads of State of Argentina, the Republic of Honduras, Cambodia, Antigua and Barbuda, Moldova, the United Republic of Tanzania, Madagascar, Comores, Kenya, etc. Various leaders from Maldives also greeted him including the Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu.
This puts into perspective the phenomenal popularity of PM Modi amongst world leaders; his personality cult-driven politics lends a distinct aura to his interactions in the international sphere, thus adding the much-needed human interest element to the otherwise dry and somewhat lackluster arena of international diplomacy. No matter how much the critics dismiss this human-interest element as “drama” and “theatrics”, even they cannot deny that his extraordinary ability to form personal equations with word leaders gives Bharat an unprecedented edge in world affairs. The skillful use of personal equations can be a valuable tool in business dealing and PM Modi knows how to leverage this strength of his in the international context.
Reflecting the continuity of the Modi government’s “Neighbourhood First” policy under the banner of NDA, top south Asian leaders have been invited to be a part of PM Modi’s oath ceremony. The leaders of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have already confirmed their presence, as per media reports. Formal invitations have reportedly been also sent to Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda, Bhutan Prime Minister T-shering Tobgay, and Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth.
In 2014, PM Modi’s oath ceremony was attended by the leaders of the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation), and in 2019, the leaders of the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) countries attended his oath ceremony. Thus, in what signals a foreign policy continuum, the NDA government has again invited South Asian leaders for PM Modi’s oath ceremony.
Overall, it doesn’t seem, at least at this stage that the prominence of other coalition partners would the change Modi government’s overall foreign policy drastically. But with regard to issues like the implementation of CAA which are an indirect component of Bharat’s foreign policy, there might be some setbacks. Also, in foreign policy areas that intersect with BJP’s core focus on Hindutva, such as the engagement with the Bharatiya diaspora abroad and the consolidation of Hindu identity, it might be a bumpy road ahead.
PM Modi’s phenomenal engagement with the Bharatiya diaspora abroad, the majority of which is Hindu, has been an eyesore for the West. We have taken up this topic in many previous articles about how the Western media demonizes the Hindu diaspora abroad which supports Modi, calling them “fascist”, “Hindutva majoritarian”, and what not.
Now since the BJP is back to power but with a somewhat weaker mandate and forming a coalition government, the Western media is portraying it as “democracy has a chance to survive in India”. The Western pushback against PM Modi has been focused on countering his Hindutva agenda. Thus, regarding areas where foreign policy overlaps with Hindu issues, the road might be indeed bumpy for the Modi government under the NDA coalition.
