Opinion | With India’s Massive G20 Success, PM Modi has Created an Unparalleled Global Legacy

First and foremost, India has emerged as the strongest voice of the Global South. Among its abiding legacies, the most significant one is the inclusion of the African Union as the new permanent member of the G20 (now G21). That PM Modi ensured it during India’s Presidency shows India’s commitment towards the entire African continent, with which India has had historic ties. Most importantly, in terms of geopolitics, this will be remembered as a watershed moment in global inclusivity and carries enough reason to wean African nations away from China’s ulterior influence.

Secondly, the comprehensive rail and shipping connectivity network announced, linking the US, India, Saudi Arabia, Gulf and Arab states, and the European Union is a massive project that will see world powers collaborate over an extended period. The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEE EC) is going to fundamentally transform the world. It is the greatest connectivity project ever in history, surpassing the likes of the Suez Canal in impact.

If one were to examine some of the salient points of IMEE EC:

1. Two separate corridors — the East corridor connecting India to West Asia and the Northern corridor connecting West Asia to Europe.
2. The corridor will include a rail link which will provide a multi-modal, cross-border ship-to-rail transport link connecting South East Asia with Europe through India.
3. The corridor link will also include an electricity cable and hydrogen pipeline, high-speed data cable.
4. The IMEE EC will ensure that unsustainable debt is not created (in stark contrast to the BRI of China).
5. The corridor will also be a green transport hub and create millions of jobs. The all-pervasive benefits and advantages contained in the project and the US goodwill and support for it render China’s fledging BRI as obsolete. Only similarly obsolete entities can continue to be in awe of China while being dismissive of the vast strides made by India through this global Gatishakti masterplan.

Thirdly, the Ukraine-Russia situation had been among the most contentious issues, but the Delhi Declaration was adopted with both China and Russia in total agreement. PM Modi’s leadership has bridged the trust deficit that had risen in recent years among member nations, leading to the most robust cooperation ever between G20 member countries.

Lastly, PM Modi announced the launch of the Global Biofuel Alliance to boost the use of cleaner fuels. It was affirmed that this alliance will accelerate global efforts to meet net zero emission targets, by facilitating trade in biofuels, derived from various sources, including plant and animal waste. After the International Solar Alliance, the Global Biofuel Alliance is one of India’s most impactful interventions for a better future for the world. It raises the sustainable development quotient and increases the stake for participating nations.

Most importantly, India, universally acknowledged as the mother of democracy, has truly democratised the G20 under PM Modi. On one hand, PM Modi consciously made it a decentralized movement with over 250 events in 60 cities, involving the common citizen as much as possible, on the other hand, the inclusion of the African Union (with 55 member states) has given an important international forum, long denied to the Global South.

It is without doubt that India’s G20 Presidency has been among the most successful presidencies, raising the expectations from the succeeding nations manifold.

While the achievements of India have been spoken about a lot, the G20 summit has also exposed the fault lines between the ruling NDA and the Congress-led I.N.D.I.A completely. Let it be remembered forever that while India was giving final shape to the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEE EC), Rahul Gandhi was in Brussels, heaping lavish praise upon China’s BRI, which apart from entangling nations in its vicious debt-trap diplomacy, is guilty of impinging upon India’s sovereignty by transgressing into PoK. While the Indian diplomatic efforts led by our G20 Sherpa, Amitabh Kant, have been lauded by Congressmen like former PM Manmohan Singh and Shashi Tharoor, Rahul Gandhi continues to bask in his notoriety continuing with his smear India campaign on foreign soil.

The writer is the National Spokesperson of BJP. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.