By EMMA CUMMINGS-KRUEGER
INDIA CORRESPONDENT
This May, in the face of potential Indian political turnover, top American news outlets including The Huffington Post and USA Today circulated an article entitled “Why India’s election matters.” Since the mid-2000s, India has emerged as a formidable global power, not only resulting from its 1.2 billion population, but also from the nation’s military and economic trade potential. Without a doubt and needless to print, the major bipartisan elections of this past summer matter.
As Americans with Ebola and Beyonce preoccupations, we are rarely offered news concerning India’s shifting power on the world stage. But on May 16th, Narendra Modi of the BJP party was elected as the nation’s fifteenth Prime Minister and the trajectory of the nation shifted immeasurably. Deemed “The Social Media Politician” by The New York Times –due to excessive tweeting that has, on more than one occasion, resulted in the PM’s suspension from Twitter– the Gujarat native has well established himself as a voice of advancement over his as-yet short stint in office. Looking past Modi’s progressive platform of Clean India recycling and welfare programs, he is simply a “cool guy,” as a New Delhi rickshaw driver once put it. His “personality cut”, so-called by India Today has granted Modi popularity ratings currently standing above 66%, according to The Hindustan Times, among the highest government approval ratings in India’s independent history.
Modi’s leadership has successfully inspired a friendliness toward Americans on behalf of India’s billion-plus population. Here in India, our group of SLU students is often approached by locals exclaiming, “America? Obama! Modi and Obama dohst [friends]!” The residents of India understand what most Americans yet do not; we will soon be a major part of one another’s political spheres. If our leaders are allies, so are we. The United States has always been a blip on their radar, but now that India has begun to enter ours, all that is missing is this acknowledgement on our behalf.
After only 67 years as an independent nation, India has, admittedly, struggled to earn a respected place on a global scale; the Republic has attempted to claim a spot in the UN Security Council since early 2013, according to The Economist, but has thus far been unsuccessful. Although the country’s political reputation as a potential major player has preceded its significant to date, the Modi administration seems apt to upgrade. In late September, the PM joined Obama at the White House in attempts to establish a better working and personal relationship between the two leaders and their respective nations (taking cues, CNN published an article on September 28 entitled “Why Modi’s visit matters”). This was Modi’s first trip to the United Sates and marks the beginning of improved relations and partnership between the two supposed allies. In early October, both Obama and Modi cited the encounter as a constructive and positive act of teamwork, according to the Times of India.
During my semester abroad here, I have been asked by several Americans about the “third world country” lifestyle; it seems that Western perceptions of India have remained virtually stagnant over the past half-century. Incongruently, the nation has surged forward in both relevance and consequence to the US and greater world; this summer’s elections matter because India matters. This up-and-coming powerhouse will undeniably play a major role in the America’s political trajectory over the next decade and beyond, regardless of how quickly American preconceptions adapt. Now, it is important for residents of Western nations to caste a glance eastward and remain informed of India’s political progress under the Modi administration; soon enough, their news could become our news.