Namo 'achievements' in last 10 years -- India as Bharat on 'ascending' graph
On foreign policy front, Narendra Modi started on a very weak ground. He had no considerable foreign policy experience. In 2005, he was denied Visa by the United States and the European Union too had downgraded him and his state Gujarat for 2002 riots. But once in power, he dis not look behind. A fast learner that he is, Modi picked up the tricks of the game. He brought in new charms and tools.
'Bear Hug' and selfies became buzz words.
In an acknowledgement of India's rising global graph, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was given a singular honour by the leaders of the countries he visisted; and India was celebrated at multiple high-profile multilateral and regional fora.
The BJP now in circa is ready to fight the election on a high-pedestal 'national' scale.
Modi’s role in elevating Bharat, that is India, as a global power – be that in international politics or in the recent its moon landing in August 2023 – is lauded as his personal achievements too. Of course India was the first country to successfully land a spacecraft near the lunar south pole.
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| Namo and Kamala of US |
His swearing in 2014 had SAARC leaders including Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan lined up. In 2019, BIMSTEC leaders were invited, On Jan 26, 2018, as a special gesture, leaders of 10 ASEAN countries participated as Guests of Honour at the Republic Day Parade. This unique episode singularly underlined the Modi government's Act East Policy.
Between 2014 and 2018 (first four years itself; the outgoing visits in Africa included countries such as - Algeria, Angola, Benin, Egypt, Ethiopia, Mali, Rawanda, Senegal and many more.
The first ever African Development Bank meeting was hosted in Ahmedabad.
Overall in the last decade, India's pro-active Diplomacy and its rising global stature was reflected in its pivotal role in shaping the global agenda of any array of cross-cutting issues such as terrorism, climate change, nuclear proliferation and black money. Amid uneven global economic growth, India proactively pushed for expanding global cooperation against the scourge of black money.
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| Modi even hugged the Pope |
Three Parliamentary polls ... and why BJP and Team Modi need to be 'careful' .... Vajpayee lost 2004, Indira Gandhi routed in 1977 and Rajiv voted out in 1989
Of the three polls that stunned Indians, the most favourite of Congress is the 2004 debacle suffered by Atal Bihari Vajpayee- L K Advani duo. This revived Congress and gave India a government headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
This was also the beginning of an era with 'remote controlled' PMO !
The 1977 elections saw real saving of Democracy after Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi. She believed her son and his goonda elements and police highhandedness had tamed the opposition. The 'empress' was humbled.
Of course, Rajiv Gandhi was a poor victim. He was let down by self-virtuous courtiers like Mani Shankar Aiyar. That man has hardly changed, and his arrogance has only helped the BJP in later years.
Rajiv Gandhi, with a record 400-plus seats in the 1984 Lok Sabha, never hoped to sit in the opposition as he did in 1989.
All these put together or separately should make the BJP realise that in democracy especially in India, the last ball counts more than anything else. Of course, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is himself the in-charge of his show.
If Rajiv had the likes of Mani Shankar Aiyar; Vajpayee was let down by Pramod Mahajan. Modi and Amit Shah know all these pages of history better than anyone else.
On the other hand, the Congress party should be careful about Rahul's Sam uncle -- Sam Pitroda. The 'overseas' uncle had committed two blunders in 2019 -- first he questioned Indian Air Force Balakot strike and secondly, he almost justified anti-Sikh riot saying (rather infamously) -- "hua toh hua".
Sam Pitroda, Indian Overseas Congress Chief, had questioned Indian Air Force actions on February 26, 2019 and said just because eight terrorists come and 'do something' --- "you don’t jump on entire nation (Pakistan)".
Pitroda had tried to justify the then UPA government's decision not to undertake any aerial strike against Pakistan after 26/11 Mumbai terror strike in 2008.
"Such people have no connect with India's security requirements...The pain that we have suffered in last three decades due to terrorism," Late Arun Jaitley had countered.
"Agar Guru aisa ho aur unke vichar aisa ho, toh shishya kitna Nikamma niklega aaj yeh desh ko bhukatna par raha hae
(If Guru is like that, the disciple can be only a worthless one and the country is suffering this situation today)," Jaitley had said.
Over to Congress: Brand game of False Allegations
If desperation had caught up with Imran Khan, then Pakistan Prime Minister, after Balakot air strike – in India – a class of politicians who often ‘sympathised’ with him "shared" the Pakistani game of lie, falsehood and utter shamelessness at times.
If such sweeping remarks appear too harsh, one must scan through the tweets of Kapil Sibal and Digvijaya Singh. The former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh – who once was a virtual guru of Rahul Gandhi – had called Pulwama terror attack – “an accident”.
Sibal, then was in Congress, for his part wanted to bank more on a section of foreign media and questioned the authenticity of Balakot strike and its impact.
For his part, the Air Force chief Air chief Marshal BS Dhanoa said the aerial strike on February 26 (2019) achieved its target and the Pakistani retaliation itself was the ample proof about it. "We hit the target......If we had dropped bombs in the jungle, there would be no need for them (Pakistan) to respond”.
In fact, the then Congress president Rahul Gandhi added to his list of faux pas when he tweeted horrifying lines on the Ordinance factory at Amethi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Amethi said the factory was inaugurated by Rahul Gandhi in 2007 but it did not materialise due to UPA negligence.
Mr Gandhi wasted no time – and tweeted in hurry that he had inaugurated the factory in 2010 and that Mr Modi was only telling a lie.
BJP leaders Smriti Irani and Kiren Rijiju released a photograph that showed that the function was held in 2007 - as mentioned by Prime Minister in his speech.
"Please take a closer look at the photograph, it shows 2007. When you really laid the foundation stone for Amethi and when you destroyed Amethi, please come clean," Smriti Irani it out at Rahul Gandhi in Hindi.
Kiren Rijiju, MoS Home went a step further. "Rahul Gandhi ji is holding a responsible position. Why don't some sensible people in Congress party tell him that compulsive liar is a person who tells falsehoods out of habit, sometimes for no reason at all," Union Minister Mr Rijiju tweeted.
But more vital question is what does Congress and other opposition parties stand to benefit by questioning the authenticity of Air Force strike of February 27?
Have they changed?
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