The ‘New India’: Independent and Autonomous

The recent chain of events has once again shown the drastic change that India’s foreign policy has gone through under the Modi government. When PM Modi talked about making India a “vishwaguru”, many of his critics rather haters were sceptical, the Prime Minister kept on working and is constantly proving everyone wrong. Today, we are at point where India, does not succumb to the pressure from the so called “super power” or developed nations and looks for her own interests with her head held high!

India needs no sermons

The West has failed. It threatened India with dire consequences. It told India that it would suffer if it did not speak against Russia. New Delhi was told that the choice is between good and bad; that India must compromise on its national interests to remain in the good books of the United States-led Western world order. India was told not to buy Russian oil; to desist from procuring Russian weapons. White House Press Secretary, in a question related to India buying Russian crude oil, said that it is not a violation of US sanctions, but the deal could place New Delhi on the ‘wrong side of the history’.

But the United States and its Western allies were brutally mistaken. The United Kingdom’s Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said that the UK was “very disappointed” with India’s neutral position on the Ukraine crisis.

India remained steadfast. It did not buckle under the pressure of the West. India kept its foreign policy independent and autonomous – deciding decisively to not get bullied by the United States and Europe. In fact, even Japan tried to sway India to take an anti-Russia position. However, that endeavour failed too.

India Remains Unmoved

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pushed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to condemn Russia during his visit to New Delhi over the weekend. Kishida said after his meeting with PM Modi that Vladimir Putin’s attack on his neighbour was “serious” and has “shaken the global order.” In contrast, PM Modi confined his comments to the economic issues.

Meanwhile, the joint statement issued after the two leaders’ meeting made no mention of Russia, although it did call for an immediate cessation of violence in Ukraine – which is a consistent line taken by New Delhi ever since the conflict first began.

QUAD Accepts India’s Position

The Australian High Commissioner to India Barry O’Farrell revealed on Sunday that India’s position on the Ukraine-Russia war was accepted by the Quad nations (United States, Australia, and Japan)

O’Farrell said, “The Quad countries have accepted India’s position. We understand that each country has a bilateral relationship and it is clear from the comments of the MEA (ministry of external affairs) and Prime Minister Modi himself that he has used his contacts to call for the end of the conflict and no country will be unhappy with that.”

Read more: India Has Finally Stopped Emulating the West

Essentially, the United States has come to terms with the fact that India cannot be coerced into pursuing an anti-Russia line. Speaking out against Russia is not in India’s national interests. Even if one were to ignore the deep strategic defence ties between New Delhi and Moscow, the fact that Russia has stood with India throughout history when nobody else would is reason enough for us to not condemn the world’s largest country, even though the West wants us to.

America and its allies have repeatedly backstabbed India. As such, it makes no sense for New Delhi to jeopardise its flourishing ties with Moscow at the West’s insistence.

India is not a country, especially in 2022, which the West can force its decisions and foreign policy upon. New Delhi knows its power, influence and standing. Today, India is an indispensable and crucial component of the democratic world order. The West can do nothing but cope with the autonomous decisions of India. It must realise that the world is no longer run by has-been powers.