Indian Ink | Is it India’s moment? Yes, a Nobel for Narendra Modi will prove it

Even as Chinese President Xi Jinping’s “friendship visit” to Russia draws to a close, the prospects for peace in Ukraine do not seem any nearer. Why? Because neither Xi, whom Russian President Vladimir Putin described as his “closest friend”, can be trusted by the West to be honest, let alone nonpartisan, in this debilitating and long-drawn war. Is this, once again, the space for India to step in and play a key role? Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking for the eighth time at the annual India Today conclave, proclaimed that this was India’s moment. He prefaced this claim by saying that during a world crisis occasioned by the war in Ukraine, the world is looking to India for direction. To prove his point, he went to list India’s great achievements in the last 75 days. But impressive as this recitation of India’s achievements may be, something far more ambitious and achievable should be our goal – the Nobel Prize in peace for Modi. This will put the seal of history on the world’s recognition of India. It is not enough for us to say over and over again that this is India’s moment, although it may be necessary and even beneficial in some respects. Self-flattery is soothing to injured egos. And hardly any nation, excepting perhaps the Chinese whom we seem to envy more than fear, seem to have a greater sense of injured pride than us. Understandably. After centuries of subjugation. Although, again, during the innumerable decades of darkness, India always fought back, in one way or another. We always struggled to retain or regain our svarajya. Be that as it may. Blowing one’s own trumpet, however loudly, is not actually enough. Actions, as the cliché goes, speak lounder than words. Saying we are great over and over again will not actually make us so. We were great in the past, we were betrayed by our leaders post-independence, and now we are going to be great again. This narrative, however appealing, will not stand without objective proof and markers of greatness. What would these be? Some are obvious. Economic power and military might. On both these fronts India is doing well. But, more importantly, we are catching up on development too. The Modi government’s speed and efficiency in taking development to the last person is indeed praiseworthy. Whether this means the almost 500 million Jan Dhan accounts, all of which are linked to smartphones of which India is one of the largest markets. Providing homes and toilets to the poorest of the power, along with roads and electricity to villages. Providing Aadhaar numbers to over 99 per cent of our population, over 130 million people, under the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), is another incredible achievement. This ushered in a digital revolution, reducing corruption, wastage, and fraud, plus reaching the benefits of government schemes to the last and most so-called “backward” individual. When we look beyond our national borders at the world situation, we notice the breakdown of the unipolar and hegemonic global order, with the United States practically abdicating its responsibility. This poses a huge challenge to the world order. China, which is a serious competitor, given its population, economic strength, and military prowess, however, suffered a serious setback during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), if not quite in tatters, is not looking as promising or threatening as it once did. Rolling back its “wolf warrior” image the world over, China is also making much more conciliatory noises after its increasing unpopularity and trust deficit. In that sense, India is the beneficiary of these altered conditions. At the same time, the war in Ukraine, with India refusing to take sides, is presenting perhaps the biggest challenge to the world. Is it possible for India to step in and take advantage of this global adversity? My direct and simple answer to this question is a resounding, “yes.” Modi and Jaishankar must pull out all the stops to broker an end to this war and earn India’s prime minister the Nobel Prize in peace. Though the statement attributed to Asle Toje, Deputy Leader of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, that Prime Minister Modi was the strongest contender for the Nobel Peace Prize, has been shown to be fake, this does not mean that the idea will go away. In fact, Modi’s name has made the rounds for this prestigious prize many times earlier. While Toje clarified, “Let’s not discuss it or give it energy or oxygen. I categorically deny that I said anything resembling what was in that tweet,” he nevertheless praised Modi expressly and extensively. In a recorded conversation with ANI, Toje said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement that ’this is not the era of war’ was an expression of hope. India has given signals that this is not how we should resolve world disputes today. PM Modi has the worth [sic] majority of the world’s population behind him.” He added, “Modi has been the Prime Minister for some years now and is one of the elder statesmen of this world. I think that credibility, and it is interesting to see that India has in record time gone from being a developing country to becoming one of the primary economies of this world. It is taken more seriously and when India speaks, it tends to be with a friendly voice and without threats.” To both Indians and India watchers, this is the signal that India should broker an end to the war in Ukraine, as it is without doubt doing behind the scenes. But the difference is that actually accomplishing this, as China did by getting Saudi Arabia and Iran to resume diplomatic relations, would really prove that India’s moment has arrived. The writer is an author, columnist, and professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Views expressed are personal. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.