Following the BJP’s landslide victory at the recently held Lok Sabha elections, the new Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would most likely have much more to worry about than his US visa (Modi’s US visa was revoked in 2005 following his alleged involvement in the Gujarat riots in 2002). This visa issue would most likely not affect the country’s bilateral ties with the US as well. After winning the election, Modi made it a point to clarify that the country’s bilateral ties with the US would not be judged on how an individual was treated.
However, according to reports, Modi is in no hurry to visit the US, and would most likely wait till the UN general assembly session held in September for the first contact. Apparently, Modi’s top priority happens to be strengthening ties with Japan and South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
Accordingly, Modi managed to energize the moribund SAARC by sending invitations to its leaders for his swearing-in ceremony. Many expect Modi to repeat the same with the declining India-US ties.
The India-US nuclear deal had practically ended the nation’s nuclear isolation and brought it into the global politico-diplomatic grid. As such, revisiting the nuclear issue could prove beneficial for India, considering the fact that the country’s tough liability lay has prevented the deal from moving forward. Many believe that both countries would be able to work out a modus vivendi to sort out the issue amicably.
Modi was also aware of the business environment on a global scale. As such, he is expected to know that India would need to collaborate with the US in order to regain its previous growth rate of 9% from the current 4.4%. The recent years have seen growth touching nearly $100 billion owing to the India-US bilateral trade. Many expect this figure to increase to $500 billion in the coming years.
Expectations are high about Modi taking the $1.5 trillion worth defense modernization plan as a potential opportunity to talk to the US about cyber, technology and space as well.
Irrespective of their differences, many believe that India and the US would need to engage with each other in order to shape a positive grid in Asia as well as at the global level.
Narendra Modi is not worrying about his revoked US visa these days, as he has a lot more to concentrate on after becoming India’s new Prime Minister. Modi would wait for the UN general assembly session in September to meet the US leaders. He is expected to talk about strengthening the India-US bilateral ties, focusing on the nuclear deal and trade agreements shared by both countries.
