Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Modi aims to secure India’s place on world stage through G20 summit

The prime minister of India is using the G20 summit as a catalyst to position the country as a representative of many others outside traditional power blocs

Modi aims to secure India’s place on world stage through G20 summit

During his G20 presidency, Narendra Modi strategically enhanced his domestic and international reputation as a guardian of national influence and well-being, emphasising India's global standing in anticipation of the upcoming general elections next year.

Over several months, the 72-year-old leader's presence has been pervasive throughout Delhi, as his image adorned numerous roadside posters and billboards that have been prominently displayed across India's capital city.


Among other slogans, they proclaimed the country the "Voice of the Global South".

India overtook China as the world's most populous country earlier this year, after displacing former coloniser Britain as its fifth-biggest economy in 2022.

Now Modi is seeking a place on the global stage to match, using the G20 summit as a catalyst to position India as a representative of many others outside traditional power blocs.

Among the most tangible outcomes of the summit was a permanent seat at the table for the African Union, and on the first day, Modi banged a ceremonial gavel to announce that the leaders had reached consensus to adopt a declaration.

It was somewhat unexpected. The grouping had agreed on most things last year in Bali but not all.

But by herding deeply divided leaders into a common -- if largely symbolic -- statement on vexed issues such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Modi scored a diplomatic win.

The statement avoided any direct criticism of Russia -- a long-time arms and energy supplier to India -- or summit absentee President Vladimir Putin, who is accused of war crimes by the International Criminal Court.

And on climate, there was no commitment to phase out fossil fuels, but there was backing for the goal of tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030.

"It is a success for India's diplomacy," said Ashok Kantha, former Indian ambassador to China.

"We could persuade our friends in the West, and say they need not insist on an explicit condemnation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine," he added.

"It's a good compromise."

And Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Centre, said the outcome had "vindicated" India's policy of "strategic autonomy".

"It's definitely not a reflection of a 100 per cent consensus, or maybe not even an 80 or 90 per cent consensus," but it did "suggest a level of convergence on more issues than I had expected.

"That's a bit of a pleasant surprise."

- Symbolic scene -

Delhi went on an intense beautification drive before the two-day meeting.

Men were hired to chase away monkeys, some 70,000 flower pots were placed across the city and on summit days, swathes of the metropolis were locked down -- with some preparations criticised as thousands of homeless people were moved to shelters.

The summit's logo -- a globe with a lotus -- echoed the symbol of his Bharatiya Janata Party.

At the summit table, Modi sat behind a nameplate that said "Bharat" -- an ancient Sanskrit word steeped in religious symbolism -- rather than India.

He will go to the world's biggest election next year as the clear favourite, with the opposition Congress Party plagued by its reputation for corruption.

A recent poll by Pew showed eight in 10 Indians have a positive view of Modi, and almost as many believe he is leading the country to greater influence on the world stage.

His international reputation is a little less lustrous.

Under Modi's tenure, India has slumped in Freedom House's rankings for political rights and civil liberties, with police cracking down on protests, the ruling party scoring lavish funding from business allies and press freedoms curtailed.

Sweden's V-Dem Institute now describes the country as an "electoral autocracy" rather than a democracy.

But Kugelman said the G20 presidency "will really deliver a shot in the arm, so to speak, to his already very strong political prospects".

"He'll come out of this, I think, politically energised and certainly advantaged politically as well."

(AFP)

More For You

ve-day-getty

VE Day 80 street parties, picnics and community get togethers are being encouraged to take place across the country as part of the Great British Food Festival. (Photo: Getty Images)

Public invited to attend VE Day 80 procession and flypast

THE 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day will be marked with a military procession in London on May 5.

The event will include over 1,300 members of the Armed Forces, youth groups, and uniformed services marching from Parliament Square to Buckingham Palace.

Keep ReadingShow less
Knife crimes

Knife-enabled crimes include cases where a blade or sharp instrument was used to injure or threaten, including where the weapon was not actually seen.

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Knife crime in London accounts for a third of national total: ONS

KNIFE-RELATED crime in London made up almost a third of all such offences recorded in England and Wales in 2024, with the Metropolitan Police logging 16,789 incidents, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Thursday.

This amounts to one offence every 30 minutes in the capital and represents 31 per cent of the 54,587 knife-enabled crimes reported across England and Wales last year. The total number marks a two per cent rise from 53,413 offences in 2023.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer and Modi

Starmer and Modi shake hands during a bilateral meeting in the sidelines of the G20 summit at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Brazil, on November 18, 2024.

Getty Images

Starmer calls Modi over Kashmir attack; expresses condolences

PRIME MINISER Keir Starmer spoke to Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday morning following the deadly attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam region that killed 26 people on Tuesday.

According to a readout from 10 Downing Street, Starmer said he was horrified by the devastating terrorist attack and expressed deep condolences on behalf of the British people to those affected, their loved ones, and the people of India. The two leaders agreed to stay in touch.

Keep ReadingShow less
 Post Office Horizon

A Post Office van parked outside the venue for the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry at Aldwych House on January 11, 2024 in London, England. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Post Office spent £600m to keep Horizon despite plans to replace it: Report

THE POST OFFICE has spent more than £600 million of public funds to continue using the Horizon IT system, according to a news report.

Despite deciding over a decade ago to move away from the software, the original 1999 contract with Fujitsu prevented the Post Office from doing so, as it did not own the core software code, a BBC investigation shows.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pahalgam attack: Prayer meet held at Indian mission in London

The prayer meet was led by Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami

Pahalgam attack: Prayer meet held at Indian mission in London

Mahesh Liloriya

A PRAYER meet was held at the Gandhi Hall in the High Commission of India in London on Thursday (24) to pay respects to the victims of the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

Chants of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ rang out at the event which was led by Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami.

Keep ReadingShow less