Guest Column: India-Russia relationship is Nehru legacy – BJP has not discarded it -- M Chuba Ao, BJP National vice president

 India-Russia relationship is Nehru legacy – BJP has not discarded it -- M Chuba Ao, BJP National vice president  

Chuba Ao with former President Ram Nath Kovind 

This article is being written in a different context than one normally does. I am not only thinking as a leader from Nagaland or northeast. I am also trying not to be too much aloof from ‘ground reality’ vis-a-vis global politics. In the year 2024, the world is set to witness elections — some of them major ones – in about 50 countries. 

In neighbouring Bangladesh, elections are over without opposition participation and Madam Sheikh Hasina is back in power. The India-Bangladesh relations have grown stronger under her and especially since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took over the reins in New Delhi. Of the global-level relations India keeps, in today’s context; Russia is very important. I am stating this despite the fact that we in the BJP have always cherished strong partnership with key western powers including the United States. 

The Modi government has always maintained that the India-Russia relationship is very vital and an important one from the perspective of New Delhi and our national interest. The fact that it started during the Congress regime cannot be a major cause to discard it. 

The fact of the matter and which cannot be disputed is the India’s relationship with Russia has served India well; and that’s important for us. External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar is right when he says, it is important to look at global things from India’s own national interest. True, this is being ‘Bharat’ as we would like to underline in the context of emerging changes. 

India under Shri Narendra Modi ji is not ready to decide its course of domestic, economic or foreign policies from the perspective of what others will say. We have discarded the habit of ‘Lok Kiya kahenge’. What is of India’s interest; and what is of interest of the people of India is important. To make it simpler, without going into details, we can say our strong and good relations with Russia has ensured that fuel prices do not go up. 

All western countries are facing fuel issues today. Secondly, the India-Russia defence ties are very robust and time tested. One can say, India today cherishes to uphold the values of ‘Vishwa-mitra (where well, everyone can be a friend, provided it is in India’s interest). In the words of Dr Jaishankar again, ‘smart diplomacy’ means a country — which has minimum adversaries and maximum friends. This is the new confidence today’s Bharat is displaying. 

Now let us shift to certain key game-changers and achievements of the Modi government and our party regime in foreign policy matters since 2014. Over the years, Indian policy ‘suspected’ the US for long and things changed a lot first during the tenure of Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. Even for ‘Assam problems’ vis-a-vis the students stir against foreign nationals in early late seventies and early eighties, a narrative was created in Delhi that there is a ‘CIA plot’. 

It obviously stands changed drastically. It may be relevant to point out that the Modi government has successfully transformed India’s relationships with the Gulf countries too. The quality of relationships is very robust notwithstanding the fact that while Gulf is a Muslim world, in India’s domestic politics a different image is presented always. 

Many Gulf countries have honoured Modi ji with their prestigious honours and titles and the number of visits between India and these countries also have increased. There is another country, we need to refer to. That is Israel. Christians have always felt excited and even attracted towards Israel. 

But look at the influence of ‘domestic politics and Muslim sentiment’ that deliberately the ties were kept very low-profile and cold for long. 

In fact. Prime Minister Modi ji is the first Prime Minister who visited Israel in 2017. So what was it? Could we say, the foreign policy then under Congress party had ignored the Christian sentiments? 

Here, I will come to the experience and words of a Christian MP from Nagaland – Khyamo Lotha. In 1991 when PV Narasimha Rao was the Prime Minister, our own Naga MP Khyamo Lotha had said in Rajya Sabha that improved India-Israel relations would go down well for Christians as Jerusalem is a place of pilgrimage for Christians. 

He was among the rare and first Congress leaders and parliamentarians to raise that India must have diplomatic relation with Israel. Prior to establishment of bilateral ties, Christians could not go to Israel, even with diplomatic passports. And under BJP and Shri Modi ji, India-Israel relationship is of mutual trust, respect and dependency. 

(Views are personal)