“Today’s era is not of war” featuring in the G20 final declaration, India’s digital transformation record and other records being showcased, a critique of the United Nations (UN), safeguarding India’s energy security needs and a warm bonhomie with US President Joe Biden — these emerged as the five major takeaways from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 45-hour-long visit to Indonesia for the G20 summit.
As India took the presidency of Group of Twenty from Indonesia, PM Modi left no stone unturned in Bali to exhibit India’s capabilities in a world grappling with geopolitical tensions, terming the country as the “Mother of Democracy” and assured leading nations that India’s G20 presidency will be “action-oriented and decisive”. What also stood out was his apparent bonhomie with top world leaders including Joe Biden and Modi’s words on the Russia-Ukraine war finding global resonance.
‘Today’s era is not of war’
It was in Samarkand in September that Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin and told him that “today’s era is not of war” to implore him to end hostilities with Ukraine and come to the talking table. Western powers then hailed the statement and now the G20 final declaration mentioned the same words, in a big endorsement of PM Modi’s stand. Though the West is critical of India continuing to import Russian oil, Modi’s stand against the war on Ukraine has overshadowed it.
In Bali, the PM reiterated that “we have to find a way to return to the path of ceasefire and diplomacy in Ukraine”. He highlighted how leaders made an effort to take the path of peace after the Second World War wreaked havoc, and now it was G20’s turn to step up. “The onus of creating a new world order for the post-Covid period lies on our shoulders,” he said, citing how India is the land of Gautam Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi and G20’s presidency by India will show the way to the world.
Bonhomie with world leaders
The G20 summit was also marked by Modi’s visible bonhomie with world leaders as United States President Joe Biden walked up to him to greet him and later a picture of Biden greeting him on Wednesday morning dominated many discussions. Pictures of Modi’s meetings with UK PM Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanual Macron, and a brief chat with Chinese President Xi Jinping also dominated headlines. Well-thought gifts were given by PM Modi to all the leaders.
India the world leader
Modi also used the opportunity to showcase his government’s record on various counts during the Covid pandemic, especially the digital transformation that has earlier been hailed by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. He termed India as the “global leader in financial inclusion” and how India accounted for 40% of the world’s real-time payment transactions as well as used the CoWIN platform to carry out the world’s biggest vaccination exercise against Covid.
Modi further dwelt on this theme during his community address when he said that since 2014, India had opened more bank accounts than the total population of the US, has given more people houses than the total number of citizens in Australia, and built national highways equal to going on a one-and-a-half round of the whole earth. “If I calculate the number of vaccine doses, then we have administered two and a half times more doses in India than the total population of both America and the European Union,” the PM told the diaspora.
‘UN failed, India’s energy needs important’
Modi used the G20 forum to critique the UN, saying it had been unsuccessful in tackling issues that are troubling the world as a result of the Russia-Ukraine war and the Covid pandemic. Citing trouble in global supply chains and challenges for poor citizens who are facing a “double whammy”, Modi said that countries had failed to make suitable reforms in the UN. He advocated that the world hence had greater expectations from G20 and its relevance has become far more significant.
The PM also used the G20 platform to stress that India being the world’s fastest-growing economy needs energy security as the same was imperative for global growth and world powers should ensure there are no restrictions on the supply of energy and stability in the energy market should be ensured. Focussing on India’s commitment to a Net Zero Target by 2070, Modi said India is committed to clean energy and, by 2030, it will generate half of its electricity from renewable sources.
In Bali, Modi has laid solid ground for India’s year-long G20 presidency starting December 1 with the world’s eyes on it.
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