Foreign policies cannot subdue India! The more you try to suppress us, the stronger we will rise
At the recent Lokmat Global Economic Convention and the Global Sakhi Awards Ceremony held in London, the most discussed topic was whether powerful India could be subdued by certain foreign policies. Everyone I met at the event or elsewhere, people kept asking the same question: What impact will the tariff pressure have on India? In my speech, I gave a very clear and direct answer. “The more you suppress us, the more powerfully we will rise,” was and is my reply to such posers. That is India’s true strength. Love flows through our veins. Speak to us with love, and we will give our hearts; but if you show arrogance, we will not tolerate it. The politics of pressure will simply not work on us!
This stance is evident in Indian diplomacy today. India has refused to bow to the 50% tariff imposed on us. Trump wants to graze on our agricultural sector, but India’s position is clear that we are not anyone’s pastureland. We will not make our policies based on someone else’s orders. No one in the world is our master. This is our country, and we will run it according to our own policies. We will decide from whom to buy oil and from whom not to. We are worshippers of peace, not traders of weapons. We will choose friendships based on our own interests. Over the years, I have learned that there are no permanent friends or enemies. Time itself decides with whom to maintain friendship, why it should exist, in what form, and for how long.
That is why, if India and China are currently trying to strengthen ties, it is merely a demand of the times. Pay attention: Two upcoming dates are crucial for India. On August 27, the 50% tariff imposed on India by US President Donald Trump will come into effect. The second date is August 31, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Tianjin, China, during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. Russian President Vladimir Putin will also be present. The entire world is watching this meeting. Trump, too, must be wondering what might unfold. Before this, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited India and met Modi. Though these three leaders have met at SCO summits earlier, this time the circumstances are entirely different, making this meeting particularly significant.
We are well aware that India-China relations have a troubled history, marred by deep mistrust. In 1954, China’s the then leader Zhou Enlai and Indian Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru coined the slogan “Hindi-Chini Bhai-Bhai” (Indians and Chinese are brothers). But what happened next? China attacked us in 1962 and captured our territories. The 2020 Galwan Valley incident is still fresh in our memories. After the Pahalgam incident, when India launched Operation Sindoor against Pakistan, China supplied Pakistan with satellite intelligence and other logistical support for the war.China has consistently taken steps to weaken India. It would, therefore, be naïve to assume that China is ready to forge a deep friendship with us. China will not give us everything we need. In fact, China itself is facing immense pressure from the US, just as we are. So it can be imagined as two nations under pressure meeting at the same table. We must proceed with caution, keeping our national interests at the forefront. Fortunately, India has a diplomatic team of exceptional calibre: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Any step they take will be a carefully calculated one. Piyush Goyal knows exactly where and how to bargain.
There is also strong hope that Russian President Vladimir Putin will play a key role in improving India-China relations. Russia has always been a trusted friend to India. From Nehru’s era to Modi’s, there has never been a moment when I remember Russia ever trying to use pressure politics against us. Relations between India and Russia have always been cordial. In difficult times, Russia has consistently stood by India, and India has done everything possible to preserve this friendship. Amid US tariff attacks, India and Russia are standing side by side. Even with the 50% US tariff taking effect on August 27, Indian oil companies have already placed orders with Russia for September and October. Moreover, Russia is offering India an additional 5% discount.As I conclude..!
No dount, the recent Alaska meeting between Trump and Putin ended without a breakthrough, but Putin sent a powerful message. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov wore a T-shirt with “СССР” (USSR - Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) emblazoned on it. Before its breakup, the USSR included 15 countries, including Russia and Ukraine. The message is clear: Putin will settle for nothing less than a return to that stature.
Let’s wait and watch what happens next!The author is the chairman, Editorial Board of Lokmat Media and former member of Rajya Sabha.