ONE of the reasons for the great success of India foreign policy in the past ten years is the deft handling of the ever-expanding Indian diaspora and its issues and strengths by the Government headed by Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi. Right from the word ‘Go’, Mr. Narendra Modi recognised the importance of the worldwide Indian diaspora as a tool to enhance India’s diplomatic stakes and maneuverability. That was possibly the smartest idea that went into India’s foreign policy management in decades. In the past ten years, it has been proved beyond any shade of doubt that the Indian diaspora has begun to occupy a critical mass in the affairs of most countries where the Indian population has reached a sizeable proportion -- fully justifying India’s insistence upon using that advantage to drive its diplomatic goals to fruition.

 

It is possible that some earlier national leadership, too, might have thought of the idea of utilising the diaspora advantage. But its actual usage began becoming a critical component in foreign affairs of India only after Mr. Modi’s ascendence as Prime Minister. Previously, Prime Ministers of India did meet the Indian community in different countries. On most occasions, those events did not get the importance they do today. It was Mr. Narendra Modi who started addressing fascinatingly large numbers of Indian people in public gatherings of historic importance. If addressing the diaspora was one part of the connect the Prime Minister established with the Indians abroad, introducing smart administrative tools to make them feel important to the idea of India was another aspect. Various measures made the Indians abroad to feel better connected with India -- which drew them closer to India. They started realising that they also could make signal contribution to India’s progress.

 

Creating such an atmosphere was the mark of success of the idea handled so deftly by Mr. Narendra Modi and his close team. Everywhere the Prime Minister goes around the world, the Indian diaspora gathers at an appropriate venue to hear Mr. Narendra Modi’s address. The Indians in respective countries travel hundreds of miles to attend the Prime Minister’s public meetings that have seen audiences that far out-numbered the meetings of the respective countries’ national leaders. Presidents and Prime Ministers of the host countries find it absolutely important to be present at those public meetings Mr. Narendra Modi holds for the Indian diaspora. They bask in the reflected glory of the Indian leader who gets treated like a rock-star attracting countless lakhs . By praising the Indian Prime Minister, those host-leaders heighten their own acceptance in their own country in electoral and political terms.

 

This is the power of Indian diaspora that Mr. Narendra Modi recognised. On the current five-nation tour, Mr. Modi started off well with the visit to Ghana where also he connected with the people of Indian origin and asking them to identify themselves with the national interests of the host countries. But he also insists that even as they abide by the national interest of the host country, they should keep in mind that they were Indian. This has led the Indian diaspora in all countries to feel far better connected with India and its cause. They -- the Indians abroad -- now feel that they are integrally related to the idea of India. They also now know that they have an increasing role to play in host countries’ social and political spheres. Mr. Narendra Modi and his foreign policy initiatives have been the trigger for all these developments of the past one decade. The moment the Prime Minister’s first public meeting at New York’s Madison Square Garden took place, the importance of Indian diaspora got endorsed like never before. From that moment on, the Indian community all over the world became an integral part of the larger story of India.