NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has described India’s Hindu nationalist government as “Vishvamitra” or “friend of the world”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has on several occasions referred to his country as “Vishvamitra” or “friend of the world” – a term he has used in recent speeches and rallies across India.
“It is a matter of pride for all that India has earned a place like ‘Vishwamitra’ and that the whole world sees India as a friend,” he told parliament in September.
The campaign is a reflection of the Modi government’s intention to be the leading voice of the global South, Sreeram Chaulia, director general of the Jindal India Institute at the O.P., told DW. Jindal Global University.
“The idea is to build India as an independent power that is different from China, different from the US and different from the Europeans,” Chaulia said, adding that the concept includes friendship, cooperation, coexistence and mutual benefit.
India showcased its cultural and diplomatic ties last year when it hosted the G20 summit in Delhi. Since then, however, the Indian government has experienced several diplomatic disputes.
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Less than two weeks after the G20 meeting, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of involvement in the assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjaron on Canadian soil.
In December, the US said it had foiled an alleged plot to assassinate a US citizen on US soil who was also advocating for a Sikh separatist state. Both cases are under investigation.
Closer to home, India has announced plans to fence its border with Myanmar amid an escalating conflict since a military coup in February 2021.
The newly elected government in the Maldives also ordered the removal of Indian troops while boasting of stronger ties with China.
Does the world really consider India a friend?
“In the past, India intended to be a friend, but it didn’t have the real ability because we were dealing with domestic issues,” said Harsh Pant, an international relations expert at the Observer Research Foundation in Delhi, adding that India has more credibility these days. .
“It is unlikely that any big player can ignore India,” Pant said.
“At one point it looked like the war in Ukraine would destroy India’s ties with the West, but that didn’t happen. Western powers, especially the US, have a strategic partnership with India because China is a long-term problem,” he said.
Although Indian leaders disagreed with Russia’s war in Ukraine, they refused to join the US-led sanctions campaign against Moscow. Instead, New Delhi accepted Russian oil at subsidized prices, leading to increased imports from Russia.
Despite this, India’s relationship with the United States is stronger than ever.
During a visit to Washington in October 2023, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar stated that relations between the two countries were at an “all-time high”.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed the sentiment, calling the relationship an “extraordinary success”.
