The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States, alleging that it resulted in a “further erosion of India’s strategic autonomy,” according to the latest editorial in the party’s mouthpiece, People’s Democracy.

The editorial argued that the visit had led to a self-imposed restriction on India’s independent foreign policy, hindering the nation’s potential to play a creative and autonomous role in an increasingly multipolar world.

It emphasized that the Modi government’s pro-US stance had curtailed India’s opportunities, stating, “The net outcome of the Modi visit was a further erosion of India’s strategic autonomy and a self-inflicted fettering of its independent foreign policy. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, originally scheduled to be held physically in July in New Delhi, was converted into a virtual meeting.”

The editorial also asserted that the Prime Minister’s visit solidified India’s strategic and military relationship with the United States. It argued that the deepening ties between the two countries were driven by the US’s need for India to be a strong partner in its ongoing efforts to economically and militarily contain China, despite the rhetoric of a partnership between two democracies and shared values.

The CPI(M) highlighted a 2002 study commissioned by the Pentagon, which identified India as a countervailing force to China and outlined the US approach toward India. It suggested that the recent lavish treatment of Modi during his state visit to Washington, including a state banquet and the opportunity to address a joint session of Congress for the second time, coincided with the realization by the Joe Biden administration that its past efforts to check and isolate China had not yielded the desired results.

According to the CPI(M), the US’s first major initiative to engage India in a strategic alliance was the offer of a civilian nuclear agreement in 2005. However, it claimed that opposition to the nuclear deal from the Left had hindered the implementation of various logistics and interoperability agreements included in the Defense Framework Agreement.

The editorial further explained that it was only during the past few years of the Modi government that the so-called four foundational agreements were signed, ensuring logistics support and interoperability between the armed forces of India and the United States. It suggested that the Indo-US military relationship had acquired the characteristics of an alliance, except for a clause akin to Article 5 in the NATO treaty, where an attack on one country is considered an attack on the other.

Regarding cooperation in technology, the CPI(M) alleged that despite extensive discussions, there had been no actual transfer of technology between the two countries.

The editorial concluded by highlighting the domestic political value that Modi attached to the US visit and its outcomes. It claimed that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), an organization with a pro-imperialist stance, and the Indian ruling classes, led by the bourgeoisie, supported a strategic alliance with the United States. The corporate media, it argued, was dominated by this outlook, considering even a subordinate position as a US ally to be a significant achievement.

The CPI(M) raised concerns about the impact of Modi’s US visit on India’s strategic autonomy, cautioning against excessive alignment with the United States and advocating for an independent foreign policy approach.