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Indiacanbeamajorpower

PublishedMarch23,2015|Byadmin

SOURCE:TRIBUNEINDIA

Threeeconomiesaregoingtomatterinthe21stcenturytheU.S.,ChinaandIndiawhatevertheordermaybe.Willynilly,nationalconsensushasindeedgotevolvedamongallpartiesthatIndiashouldemergeasamajoreconomic,politicalandmilitarypowerofthe21century.Whatisneededisconsiderableeconomicstrength,militaryprowessandpoliticalwill.Italsorequiresnationalunityandnationalcohesion.

Lately,therehavebeensomedisturbingtrends,however,whichneedtobecheckedasurgentlyaspossible.Ifthereisnonationalcohesion,therewillbenonationalunity,andwhateverstrengthwemaygainbyeconomicandmilitarystrength,nationalunitywillbeseriouslydisturbed.Wewillbewastingmuchofourenergyonsortingoutsocialtensions,whichareunfortunatelynotbeingattendedto.

Wealsorequireafewyearsofpeacearoundusintheneighbourhood.LookattheChinese.DengXiaopingnotthatwehavetofollowotherpeoplesexampledecidednottohavetoomanytensionsaroundChinaandconcentrateoneconomicandmilitarymodernisation.Whatevertheresults,ithaspaiddividendstotheChinese.Wealsoneedtoattendtolackofsocialcohesionatthemoment.Thedisturbingtrendsshouldbecheckedimmediately,otherwise,theycangooutofhand.

Ifyoudonothavenationalunitybehindeconomic,politicalandmilitarystrength,wewillnotachievetheaimofemergingasamajorpowerofthe21stcentury.Weshouldrealisethatwedonothavemuchtimetowaste.ItwasagoodideaonthepartofthePrimeMinistertohaveinvitedtheheadsofneighbouringcountriestohisswearinginceremony.PakistansNawazSharifcouldnotdeliverbecause,ononeside,hehasterrorists,andontheother,hehastheArmybreathingdownhisneck.WeshouldunderstandtheprevailingsituationinPakistan..

TheForeignSecretarysrecentvisittoPakistanshouldbebackedbyconsiderablepoliticalwillsothattheprocessofpeacearoundpeaceinourneighbourhoodisgivenapush.ThePrimeMinisterdidgotoBhutan,andNepal,andlatelytoSriLanka,althoughhecouldnotgosecondtimetoNepaltheMinisterofExternalAffairsvisitedDhakaandChina,andotherforeignvisitshavetakenplace.ShinzoAbe,XiJinping,BarackObamaandPutincame,buttheirvisitsneedtobefollowedup.

WithBangladesh,twoissueshavebeenlingeringforlongandareIndiasresponsibilitytosortout.Oneisthe

TeestawatersbutwehavenotseenthroughitbecausewecouldnotresolvedifferenceswithMamataBanerjeesWestBengalgovernment.SomeattemptsneedtobemadetoliveuptoourpromisetogiveTeestawaterstoBangladesh.ThereisafterallafriendlygovernmentinBangladesh.Indiahastostrengthenitshands,andifwedontgiveTeestawaters,andtakesomeotherstepstocementfriendshipwithDhaka,weareharmingourownnationalinterest.OntheLandBoundaryAgreement,luckily,itisoutoftheStandingCommitteeofParliamentandtheearlierthisagreementisratifiedbyIndiathebetteritis.Itisaquestionofafewvillages,whethertheyareonthissideoftheborderortheother,itdoesnotmatter.Indiaisalargecountryandcanaffordtobereasonable.OurwidernationalinterestliesintheLandBoundaryAgreementbeingratifiedanditsratificationislongoverdue.Itisnotanewagreementthathasbeenarrivedatrecently.

InSriLanka,luckily,thereisapositiveturnofeventsforIndia.ThereisachangeinthegovernmentaftertherecentelectionsthereandthePrimeMinistersvisitfirstafter28yearswasasuccess.ThiswouldrequireasustainedfollowuptoensurethatColomboremainsmindfulofIndianconcerns.TheIndianOceansituation,ingeneral,shouldbeofutmostconcern.WhatishappeningintheMaldivesshouldbeofconcerntoSouthBlock.IndiaseemstohavelostinfluenceintheMaldives.WhiletheChinesearebecomingmoreassertive,wehavetohaveaclearpolicyontheIndianOcean.

WeneednotcomeoutwithasortofaMonroeDoctrineorasimilarproposition,butweshouldbecarefulinevolvingasecuritypolicy,givingconsiderableattentiontotheIndianOceanwhichisofvitalstrategicimportancetothecountry.ForWestAsia,wedonthaveanansweryetonwhetherthe39IndianhostagesarealiveordeadintheSyrianconflict.TwopossibilitieswerethrownupinParliamentandtheMinisterofExternalAffairssaidthatboththeversionswerethere,wedontknowwhichonetobelieve.

AnIndianwhohadescapedfromtherehadgivenboththeversions.TheirfamiliesinPunjabarelivinginagonisingsuspenseoverwhethertheyarealiveornot.Parliamentandthecountryneedtobetakenintoconfidenceastowhatfatetheyhavemet.ThatisnottheonlyissueinWestAsia.WeneedtohaveawelldefinedpolicyonWestAsia.IndiasneighbourhooddoesnotjustbeginorendattheWaghaborder.OurbordersextendfromtheMalaccaStraitintheEast,andgorightuptotheSuezCanalintheWest.SixtosevenmillionIndiansareworkinginWestAsia.MostofouroilcomesfromWestAsiafromaShiapower,Iran,andfromaSunnipowerSaudiArabia,bothcaughtinacontinuingadversarialrelationship.

WeneedtoevolveanactivepolicysothattherecanbesomepeaceinthewiderarcaroundIndia,ifwewanttobecomfortableinpursuingourpoliciesathomeandintheworldaround.Certainly,IndiahasimprovedrelationswiththeUSandPresidentObamasvisithasgoneoffverywell.Butthenationwouldliketoknowwhetherthe49percentFDIindefence,whichhasbeenpromised,willleadtotheimportofcriticaltechnology,whichwewantedfromtheAmericansandtheyweredenyingus.

Thenucleardealdoesnotsaymuchonthisquestion.Thedefenceagreementsalsohavenotbeenreleasedsofar,althoughthesehavebeenworkedoutbythetwocountries.ForIndiatoplayaglobalrole,ithastothinkbigandalsoworkforitwithaclearmind,backedbypoliticalwill.Whatisneededmost,however,isinternalsocialcohesionwhichiscomingunderseriousstrainlately.Thiscandivertourattentioninward,defeatingour21stcenturygoals.

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