The successive Non Gandhi govts, whether Congress or BJP have many laurels.
Whether it was:
- Moraji Desai which reverted the 39th and 42nd Constitutional amendments made by Indira Gandhi to convert India to a dynastic dictatorship OR
- Narasimha Rao who started economic reforms OR
- Vajpayee who liberated the economy OR
- Modiji whose achievements baffles description ,
No non-Gandhi till Modiji has reformed Indian foreign policy to the extent Modiji has did.
What was the biggest sins of the Gandhi Dynasty’s foreign policy?
- In the pretext of “Non-Alignment” the dynasts aligned with the Communist nations which resulted to communist countries like Russia and China ruthlessly exploit India. The deal between Gandhis and communist nations was simple “help us stay in power and exploit India in the way you can”.
- Sonia did not murmur when China went on establishing naval bases and taking over the countries like Srilanka, Maldives, Nepal or even Bangladesh during 2004-14.
- The dynasty played little in international stage resulting to isolation of India. It did not even compete with any other country for its own interests (except Pakistan). Such policy made India overly focus on a small country like Pakistan. And the real enemies like China far surpassed India in the meantime as India remained focused on Pakistan.
How is Modiji along with legendary external affairs minister S. Jaishankar reverting the the sins of Gandhi’s on the foreign policy front?
- India has in reality shunned the Non Aligned Policy. India has entered QUAD, the alliance of four democratic countries in Indo-Pacific. The other countries apart from India are USA, Japan and Australia.
- India has become aggressive in its China policy by competing with China in taking countries like Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh etc. out of Chinese sphere of Influence.
- India has started flexing its military muscle in foreign policy by sending warships to South China sea in a tit-for-tat move on Chinese ships prowling in Indian Ocean.
- India is also developing countries in Africa so that India also benefits in Africa financially. This has resulted India catch up China in Africa.
- By being aggressive, Russia is not fully passing on to Chinese sphere of influence.
- India is adopting a tit-for-tat foreign policy. China sold fighter jets to Pakistan to check-mate India. India, immediately sold anti-Ship Brahmos missiles to Chinese arch-enemy Philippines. This move will hurt China in South China sea.
- India is not succumbing to Chinese bullying, rather it is facing head-on at Ladakh.
- India is not overly focusing on Pakistan. We need to grow beyond the Pakistani focus and compete with bigger powers like China or even Russia.
- We are reducing our dependence on various foreign powers for arms, so that we can have our independent foreign policy.
- COVID has hurt India like every other nation. But India by becoming a major vaccine producer, exporter and donating the vaccines has successfully projected soft power all through out the world.
- India has helped countries like Sri-Lanka and Maldives during their economic crisis thereby increasing India’s influence.
- India has even made the Taliban in Afghanistan attack Pakistan. Taliban attacked Pakistan through the Durand line around the same time when India donated food, medicines and COVID vaccines to Afghanistan.
Not many are paying attention to these changes, but these shifts will surely shape India’s future not for decades but for centuries.
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