Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Modi’s twin visits underline several initiatives' that was published in Newsband

Modi’s twin visits underline several initiatives

PM Narendra Modi has called for inclusiveness in the Maldives and Sri Lanka. At Male, he delivered a speech rich in meaningful metaphors to the Maldivian Parliament. He referred to the ties that bind India to the Maldives.

Modi called the waves of Indian Ocean “messengers” of peace, friendship and trust that exist between the two countries. The speech spelt out common interests in maritime cooperation, democracy, pluralism, climate change, and in battling the twin scourges of terrorism and radicalisation. There were agreements done on hydrography cooperation and sharing ‘white shipping’ information, and to fund a conservation project for Male’s Friday Mosque. The Prime Minister expressed a resolve for the common fight against terrorism and radicalization. On his next stop, for a few hours in Colombo, he spelt out the same message.

Modi’s twin visits underlined several initiatives, including his commitment to “Neighbourhood First” and “Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR)”. Modi chose to speak in Male about two important liberal values as common causes: democracy and inclusiveness. He repeated his motto, Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas aur Sabka Vishwas (together with all, for the development of all and with the trust of all), and his outreach to the mosque in the Maldives and the church in Sri Lanka reinforced the words.

But sabka viswas- inclusiveness will not happen as long as Rahul Gandhi and media keep going with their narrative that Modi won the recent elections on religion/caste polarisation.  Owaisi came out and said that Rahul Gandhi would have lost at Wayanard had not Muslims voted for him. Media and Rahul have been and are continuing to shout that the minority is not safe under Modi. So, who is really being divisive?

On the whole, Modi displayed an appreciable attitude during the trips. His interest to improve ties with the countries of the world in general and with the neighbouring nations is remarkable. In the globalised world such ties will improve economic benefits. There is a need to speed up the implementation of the agreements.

Helping in conservation of a 1658 Coral Mosque is a welcome initiative towards building harmony between nations, and also a motivating factor for Muslims living in India to put their faith in the PM. However, the promises done in the southern neighborhood countries must be implemented as well.