Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to the UK helped shift bilateral ties away from the colonial prism
Relations between India and the UK had been stagnant for the past 10 years, with no real excitement and no mega deals to talk about. Clearly, there was the lack of a big ticket idea even though India formed formidable trade relations with the US and China during this time.
After Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the UK, it will be fair to say that the relation between the two countries has breathed a new life. Mr Modi was the first Indian Prime Minister to address the British Parliament, an honour that was not accorded even to Chinese President Xi Jinping, who visited the UK recently. Mr Modi was also the first Indian Prime Minister to engage with the Queen Elizabeth II. Notably, British Prime Minister David Cameron stood side-by-side with Mr Modi in all his public engagements.
A villager in rural India or a politician from an opposition party may ask: What’s the big deal if Mr Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to meet the Queen or address the British ParliamentIJ The point here is that the hospitality and respect shown to Mr Modi is rare. Mr Modi was magnanimous in acknowledging this in his Wembley speech, when he said that the honour accorded to him, was in effect, a welcome to 125 crore Indians.
Indeed, India has arrived on the world stage and the British Government was merely acknowledging this fact. As it is famously said, der aaye durust aaye (better late than never).
It has taken Britain years to stop looking at India from the prism of the colonial past. Mr Modi was quick to remind the former colonial masters and other world powers, in his address to the Indian diaspora at Wembley, that India was not looking for sympathies or favours. “We no longer want sympathy from the world, we want equality”. He went on to add, “I can say after 18 months of experience that today whosever speaks to India, speaks as an equal”.
The India of old is gone in which Oxford or Cambridge educated leaders ruled and were revered. Oxford-educated Manmohan Singh was the last Prime Minister to visit Britain in 2006. Since then, a new India has been born which is confident and knows its place in the world.
India was already on the cusp of change. But its modern avatar began to take shape after Mr Modi came to power in May 2014. Now under his leadership, India’s place in the world as a leading nation has been firmly secured.
The people of India must have felt puffed up to see Mr Modi interacting with ease with Mr Cameron. Britain’s economy has been growing at a snail’s pace. It needs econmic partners that have vibrant growth rate and huge markets to invest in. Who knows this better than Mr Cameron himselfIJ He and Mr Modi have rebooted India-UK ties, which are now bound to show vibrancy.
The signing of commercial pacts worth nine billion pounds will go a long way in doubling bilateral trade which currently stands at around $14 billion. The UK has been invited to construct three smart cities in India. This will see greater British investment in India. There were also other significant agreements, such as the civilian nuclear treaty.
Mr Modi’s UK visit was his 27th foreign trip since he assumed office. Many have questioned him for traveling abroad so often. But he does not do so for personal gain. He does it to secure India its rightful place in the world community. He hardsells India to get investment. He connects with the Indian diaspora to use them as a bulwark between India and the countries of their residence.
It’s important that Mr Modi continues to travel and make common cause with world leaders. There are several global issues on which India needs to be in sync with world powers. Terrorism is one big issue. Soon after Mr Modi had spoken on Sufi Islam at Wembley that Paris witnessed the horrific terror attacks on November 13.
Mr Cameron also suggested that both India and Britain are victims of terrorism. london was attacked in 2005, Mumbai in 2008. The attacks in Paris vividly demonstrated that the fears expressed by the two leaders were real. It was no surprise then that Mr Modi and Mr Cameron spoke in one voice against the menace of global terrorism.