top of page

By:

Akhilesh Sinha

25 June 2025 at 2:53:54 pm

India's multi-align diplomacy triumphs

New Delhi: West Asia has transformed into a battlefield rained by fireballs. Seas or land, everywhere echoes the roar of cataclysmic explosions, flickering flames, and swirling smoke clouds. et amid such adversity, Indian ships boldly waving the Tricolour navigate the strait undeterred, entering the Arabian Sea. More remarkably, Iran has sealed its airspace to global flights but opened it for the safe evacuation of Indians.   This scene evokes Prime Minister Narendra Modi's memorable 2014...

India's multi-align diplomacy triumphs

New Delhi: West Asia has transformed into a battlefield rained by fireballs. Seas or land, everywhere echoes the roar of cataclysmic explosions, flickering flames, and swirling smoke clouds. et amid such adversity, Indian ships boldly waving the Tricolour navigate the strait undeterred, entering the Arabian Sea. More remarkably, Iran has sealed its airspace to global flights but opened it for the safe evacuation of Indians.   This scene evokes Prime Minister Narendra Modi's memorable 2014 interview. He stated that "there was a time when we counted waves from the shore; now the time has come to take the helm and plunge into the ocean ourselves."   In a world racing toward conflict, Modi has proven India's foreign policy ranks among the world's finest. Guided by 'Nation First' and prioritising Indian safety and interests, it steadfastly embodies  'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' , the world as one family.   Policy Shines Modi's foreign policy shines with such clarity and patience that even as war flames engulf West Asian nations, Indians studying and working there return home safe. In just 13 days, nearly 100,000 were evacuated from Gulf war zones, mostly by air, some via Armenia by road. PM Modi talked with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian to secure Iran's airspace for the safe evacuation of Indians, a privilege denied to any other nation. Additionally, clearance was granted for Indian ships carrying crude oil and LPG to pass safely through the Hormuz Strait. No other country's vessels are navigating these waters, except for those of Iran's ally, China. The same strategy worked in the Ukraine-Russia war: talks with both presidents ensured safe corridors, repatriating over 23,000 students and businessmen. Iran, Israel, or America, all know India deems terrorism or war unjustifiable at any cost. PM Modi amplified anti-terror campaigns from UN to global platforms, earning open support from many nations.   Global Powerhouse Bolstered by robust foreign policy and economic foresight, India emerges as a global powerhouse, undeterred by tariff hurdles. Modi's adept diplomacy yields notable successes. Contrast this with Nehru's era: wedded to Non-Aligned Movement, he watched NAM member China seize vast Ladakh territory in war. Today, Modi's government signals clearly, India honors friends, spares no foes. Abandoning non-alignment, it embraces multi-alignment: respecting sovereignties while prioritizing human welfare and progress. The world shifts from unipolar or bipolar to multipolar dynamics.   Modi's policy hallmark is that India seal defense deals like the S-400 and others with Russia yet sustains US friendship. America bestows Legion of Merit; Russia, its highest civilian honor, Order of St. Andrew the Apostle. India nurtures ties with Israel, Palestine, Iran via bilateral talks. Saudi Arabia stands shoulder-to-shoulder across fronts; UAE trade exceeds $80 billion. UN's top environment award, UNEP Champions of the Earth, graces India, unlike past when foreign nations campaigned against us on ecological pretexts.   This policy's triumph roots in economic empowerment. India now ranks the world's fourth-largest economy, poised for third in 1-2 years. The 2000s dubbed it 'fragile'; then-PM economist Dr. Manmohan Singh led. Yet  'Modinomics'  prevailed. As COVID crippled supply chains, recession loomed, inflation soared and growth plunged in developed countries,  Modinomics  made India the 'bright star.' Inflation stayed controlled, growth above 6.2 per cent. IMF Chief Economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas praised it, advising the world to learn from India.

Constitutional Confidence

India’s Republic Day is often read through its splendid military pageantry which has become the symbolic visual shorthand for every January 26. But it is, in fact, an anniversary of restraint for in 1950, India chose to govern itself not by the passions of victory or grievance, but by a Constitution. As the country marks its 77th Republic Day, the past year offers evidence not just of spectacle, but of state capacity put to work.


The setting this year is heavy with symbolism. Kartavya Path will host a parade built around the national song ‘Vande Mataram’ which marked 150 years since Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote it.


Over the past year, India has demonstrated a greater willingness and ability to act decisively when its security interests are challenged. Operation Sindoor, which was the counterstrike launched in retaliation of the April 2025 Pahalgam massacre of civilians by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists, revealed our superior counter-terror and border-management capabilities.


The aim has been deterrence without escalation: signalling resolve while avoiding the sort of adventurism that once left India diplomatically isolated.


The parade will underline that shift. The army’s new battle array formation will showcase indigenous drone units, rocket systems and the debut of the Bhairav Light Commando Battalion that are meant to show a force reorganising itself for modern conflict rather than ceremonial display. The emphasis on domestically produced platforms is not just nationalist branding. Supply-chain disruptions, sanctions regimes and geopolitical uncertainty have made defence self-reliance less an ideological preference than a strategic necessity.


Diplomacy, too, has had a productive year. The presence of the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, and the European Council president, António Costa, as joint chief guests in the first such pairing signals how far India’s external stock has risen. Europe, anxious about overdependence on China and unsure of America’s long-term commitments, increasingly sees India as a stable democratic partner. For New Delhi, the EU-India summit that follows Republic Day is another chance to convert geopolitical goodwill into trade, technology and influence.


Beyond security and diplomacy, the republic has continued to consolidate its economic footing. Growth remains among the fastest in the world, while its public digital infrastructure has deepened financial inclusion, and manufacturing especially in electronics and defence has edged forward. Yet Republic Day is not meant to be a victory lap. The Constitution that came into force on January 26, 1950 was radical precisely because it assumed fallibility of leaders, institutions and majorities. Its checks and balances were designed for moments of confidence as much as moments of crisis. The achievements of the past year in operational assertiveness, diplomatic reach and economic resilience suggest a state more capable than it once was. The task ahead is to ensure that this capacity remains anchored to constitutional purpose. Republic Day endures not because of the parade, but because it renews a bargain that power, however effectively wielded, is ultimately answerable to the republic’s founding promises.

Comments

bottom of page