There is little else Narendra Modi could have done to make his trip to the US more successful. Starting from his speech in Hindi to the much-loved show in Madison Square Garden, the Prime Minister of India was a one man hit show. Keep in mind that the US is the same country that refused Modi an entry visa in 2005 because of his involvement in the Gujarat genocide. But that’s politics.
Amongst other things, PM Modi’s first visit to the US was aimed at wooing US investors to empty their pockets in India, and every move was a marketing campaign. His meetings with the CEOs of the Fortune 500 firms including big corporations such as IBM, Google and Walmart are likely to bear results.
The event at Madison Square Garden cost roughly $1.5 million, funded by the 2.5 million-strong Indian American community in the US. Their sheer number, and the presence of a strong business community within their ranks reflected their very real power to catapult India towards economic progress. PM Modi also promised lifelong visa’s for NRIs, alongside a proposal to grant US citizens visa on arrival. The sparse crowd protesting outside, calling PM Modi a murderer and demanding a trial for the Gujrat riots was left completely ignored in the wake of the thousands that were cheering his name inside. Not much fuss was made about the ongoing religion-based clashes in Narendra Modi’s home state either. If there is one thing we should know about Modi by now, it’s that he’s a spin master.
Modi’s meetings with the leaders of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal signal a desire for regional cooperation. Carefully avoiding Pakistan, this is a diplomatic snub missed by nobody. The Indian PM’s meeting with President Obama on Monday will determine the exact nature of the relationship between the countries, though there have so far been positively friendly signals emerging from the duo’s political and defence agreements. Modi’s overtures to Israel and his focus on growth would be supported by a positive turn in India-US relations, with an increase in defence capabilities in mind for the South-Eastern nation, alongside greater support for its nuclear programme. Nawaz Sharif could learn a thing or two from his Indian counterpart’s proactive efforts that extend beyond ceremonial scope to strengthen his country’s image, political strategy and economy. He’s one to keep watching.