Narendra Modi: A Leader Who Balances India’s Relations with China, Transforms India’s Economy, and Manages India’s Temples

Narendra Modi and China: A Balancing Act of Cooperation and Competition

Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, has faced several challenges and opportunities in dealing with China, a rising global power and a strategic rival in Asia. Modi’s approach to China has been marked by a balancing act of cooperation and competition, seeking to advance India’s interests while managing the risks of conflict.

Modi came to power in 2014 with a promise of reviving India’s economy and enhancing its global stature. He initially sought to improve relations with China, which had been strained by border disputes, trade imbalances, and China’s growing influence in India’s neighbourhood. Modi visited China in 2015 and held an informal summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2018, where they agreed to intensify efforts to deescalate tensions at their contested border. Modi also welcomed China’s participation in his flagship initiatives such as Make in India, Smart Cities, and Digital India.

However, Modi also pursued a more assertive foreign policy that challenged China’s ambitions in the region and beyond. He strengthened India’s strategic partnership with the United States, Japan, Australia, and other countries that share India’s concerns about China’s rise. He supported the revival of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), a grouping of four democracies that aim to uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific. He also expanded India’s engagement with other Asian countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, and South Korea, offering them economic and security cooperation.

Modi’s balancing act was put to the test in 2020, when a violent clash between Indian and Chinese troops at the Galwan Valley in Ladakh resulted in many deaths in both sides. It was 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown and undisclosed number of Chinese casualties. The incident triggered a military standoff that lasted for months, raising fears of a full-scale war between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Modi responded by mobilizing diplomatic and military resources to defuse the crisis, while also taking measures to reduce India’s dependence on China. He banned dozens of Chinese apps, restricted Chinese investments, and promoted domestic manufacturing and self-reliance. He also rallied international support for India’s position, highlighting China’s aggression and violation of agreements.

In 2021, after several rounds of talks, India and China agreed to disengage their troops from some of the friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de facto border between them. However, the situation remains tense and unresolved, as both sides continue to maintain a large presence of troops and weapons in the area. Modi has reiterated his commitment to restoring peace and tranquility along the border, while also asserting India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. He has also maintained his dialogue with Xi Jinping, exchanging letters and phone calls on various issues of mutual interest.

Modi’s handling of China reflects his pragmatic and flexible approach to foreign policy, which balances realism and idealism, cooperation and competition, engagement and deterrence. He has shown his willingness to work with China on areas of common interest such as trade, climate change, and pandemic response, while also standing up to China on issues of core interest such as sovereignty, security, and democracy. He has also demonstrated his ability to leverage India’s strengths such as its demographic dividend, democratic values, cultural diversity, and civilizational heritage. Modi has thus positioned India as a confident and credible actor in the international arena, capable of shaping its own destiny and contributing to global peace and prosperity.

Narendra Modi and Indian Economy: A Vision for Transformation

Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, has embarked on a vision for transforming India’s economy into a global growth engine. He has implemented several reforms and initiatives that aim to boost productivity, innovation, competitiveness, inclusiveness, and sustainability. He has also faced several challenges and setbacks that have hampered his economic agenda.

Modi came to power in 2014 with a mandate to revive India’s economy, which had been suffering from low growth, high inflation, fiscal deficit, current account deficit, corruption, policy paralysis, and poor governance. He launched several flagship schemes such as Make in India, Digital India, Skill India, Startup India, Swachh Bharat, and Smart Cities to promote manufacturing, digitalization, skill development, entrepreneurship, sanitation, and urban development respectively. He also introduced major reforms such as the Goods and Services Tax (GST), which replaced multiple indirect taxes with a single nationwide tax system; the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), which streamlined the resolution of stressed assets; the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), which enabled direct transfer of subsidies to beneficiaries; and the demonetization of high-value currency notes in 2016, which aimed to curb black money and promote digital payments.

Modi’s economic policies yielded some positive results in the first term of his government. India’s GDP growth averaged 7.4% between 2014 and 2019, making it one of the fastest-growing major economies in the world. India’s inflation rate declined from 9.5% in 2014 to 3.4% in 2019, bringing relief to consumers and businesses. India’s fiscal deficit narrowed from 4.5% of GDP in 2014 to 3.4% in 2019, reflecting fiscal prudence and consolidation. India’s current account deficit improved from 1.7% of GDP in 2014 to 0.9% in 2019, indicating a better balance of payments position. India’s ease of doing business ranking improved from 142nd in 2014 to 63rd in 2019, reflecting an improvement in the business environment and regulatory framework.

Modi’s economic achievements also earned him international recognition and respect. He was invited as the chief guest at several global forums such as the World Economic Forum in Davos, the G20 summit in Brisbane, the ASEAN summit in Manila, and the BRICS summit in Johannesburg. He also forged strategic partnerships with key countries such as the United States, Japan, Australia, France, Germany, and Israel, enhancing India’s economic and security cooperation with them.

However, Modi also faced several challenges and criticisms that hampered his economic agenda. His demonetization move was widely criticized for causing disruption, hardship, and loss of lives for millions of people, especially the poor and informal sector workers. His GST implementation was also marred by technical glitches, compliance issues, and revenue shortfalls. His Make in India initiative failed to generate enough jobs and exports, as India faced stiff competition from countries like China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh. His Skill India and Startup India schemes also fell short of their targets, as India struggled to create a skilled workforce and a vibrant innovation ecosystem.

Modi’s economic performance also suffered a setback due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which hit India hard in 2020 and 2021. India’s GDP contracted by 7.3% in 2020-21, the worst performance since independence. India’s unemployment rate rose to a record high of 23.5% in April-May 2020, as millions of people lost their jobs and livelihoods due to the lockdowns and restrictions imposed to contain the virus. India’s poverty rate increased by 15 percentage points in 2020-21, as more than 75 million people fell back into poverty due to the pandemic.

Modi responded to the Covid-19 crisis by announcing several relief and stimulus packages worth over $400 billion, or about 15% of GDP. These packages included measures such as free food grains for the poor, cash transfers for farmers and women, credit guarantees for small businesses, tax relief for individuals and corporates, infrastructure spending for health care and other sectors, and reforms for agriculture and labour markets.

Modi also launched several new initiatives to revive and transform India’s economy in the post-pandemic era. He announced a vision for Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India), which aims to make India more self-sufficient and resilient by promoting domestic production and consumption, reducing import dependence, enhancing export competitiveness, and attracting foreign investment. He also announced a plan for National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP), which aims to invest $1.4 trillion over five years in various infrastructure sectors such as roads, railways, airports, ports, power, water, urban development, and digital connectivity452. He also announced a plan for Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, which aims to provide incentives worth $27 billion over five years to boost manufacturing in key sectors such as electronics, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, textiles, and renewable energy.

Modi’s economic vision for transformation is based on his belief that India has the potential to become a global growth engine and a leading player in the emerging multipolar world order. He has articulated his vision as follows: “Our aim is not just to become self-reliant but also help the world economy while moving forward with everyone”4. He has also expressed his confidence that India will soon emerge as a global economic powerhouse: “India is not just emerging; it has already emerged“.

Modi’s economic policies reflect his pragmatic and ambitious approach to development, which balance growth and equity, reform and welfare, and tradition and modernity. He has shown his willingness to take bold and decisive actions to overcome the challenges and seize the opportunities that lie ahead for India. He has also demonstrated his ability to communicate and connect with the masses, inspiring them to join his mission of building a new India.

Narendra Modi and Temples: A Controversial Issue of Governance and Faith

Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, has faced a controversial issue of governance and faith regarding the management and administration of temples in India. Modi’s government, both at the centre and in the states, has been accused of interfering in the affairs of temples, violating the constitutional rights of Hindus, and exploiting the temple revenues for political purposes. Modi’s supporters, on the other hand, have defended his government’s actions, claiming that they are aimed at protecting and preserving the temples, promoting the welfare of the devotees, and reforming the temple administration.

Temples are an integral part of Hindu culture and religion, serving as places of worship, pilgrimage, education, art, and charity. However, many temples in India are under the control of various government bodies, such as state governments, endowment boards, trusts, committees, or courts. These bodies are supposed to manage the temples in accordance with the law and the wishes of the devotees, but they have often been accused of mismanaging, neglecting, or abusing the temples .

Some of the common allegations against the government bodies are as follows :

They divert or siphon off the temple revenues for non-religious purposes, such as funding government schemes, paying salaries to government employees, or supporting other religions.
They interfere in the religious affairs of the temples, such as appointing or removing priests, regulating rituals and festivals, or imposing restrictions on entry or offerings.
They neglect or damage the temple properties, such as lands, buildings, idols, jewels, or artifacts, either due to lack of maintenance or due to encroachment or theft.
They violate the constitutional rights of Hindus, such as freedom of religion, equality before law, or protection of minority interests.
Modi’s government has been involved in several cases related to temple management that have sparked controversy and debate among various stakeholders. Some of these cases are as follows:

The Sabarimala case: In 2018, the Supreme Court of India ruled that women of all ages should be allowed to enter the Sabarimala temple in Kerala, which is dedicated to Lord Ayyappa, a celibate deity who is worshipped by millions of devotees across India. The ruling overturned a centuries-old tradition that barred women of menstruating age from entering the temple. The ruling triggered massive protests by devotees who considered it an infringement on their faith and customs. The Kerala government, led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), supported the ruling and tried to implement it by providing police protection to women who wanted to enter the temple. The central government, led by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), opposed the ruling and supported the protests by filing a review petition in the Supreme Court and seeking a stay on its implementation .

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) case: In 2018, the Andhra Pradesh government, led by Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP), appointed a new board of trustees for the TTD, which manages the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Andhra Pradesh, one of the richest and most visited temples in India. The appointment sparked controversy as some of the board members were accused of being non-Hindus, corrupt, or anti-Hindu. The BJP, which was an ally of the TDP at that time, demanded that the board members should declare their faith and assets, and that an audit should be conducted on the temple finances and properties. The TDP accused the BJP of politicizing the issue and trying to gain control over the temple .

The Padmanabhaswamy Temple case: In 2020, the Supreme Court of India ruled that the royal family of Travancore, which had been managing the Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala for centuries, should continue to administer the temple, which is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and houses a treasure trove of gold and jewels worth billions of dollars. The ruling overturned a 2011 verdict by the Kerala High Court, which had ordered the state government to take over the temple management, following allegations of mismanagement and corruption by the royal family. The central government, led by Modi’s BJP, supported the royal family’s claim and argued that the temple was a historical and cultural legacy of the Travancore kingdom, which had merged with India in 1949 .

The Ram Janmabhoomi case: In 2019, the Supreme Court of India ruled that the disputed land in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, where the Babri Masjid, a 16th-century mosque, was demolished by Hindu activists in 1992, belonged to the Hindu deity Ram and that a temple should be built there. The ruling ended a decades-long legal and political battle between Hindus and Muslims over the site, which is believed to be the birthplace of Ram, one of the most revered gods in Hinduism. The ruling also allotted an alternative site for building a mosque for the Muslim parties. The central government, led by Modi’s BJP, welcomed the ruling and formed a trust to oversee the construction of the Ram temple. Modi also laid the foundation stone for the temple in August 2020, calling it a historic and emotional moment for India .
Modi’s government’s involvement in these cases reflects his ideological and political approach to temple management, which is influenced by his affiliation with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist organization that advocates for Hindu revivalism and cultural nationalism. Modi has shown his support for the Hindu cause and sentiments, while also respecting the judicial process and constitutional norms. He has also tried to balance the interests of various stakeholders, such as devotees, priests, communities, governments, and courts.

Modi’s government’s actions have also generated mixed reactions from various quarters. Some have praised his government for protecting and promoting the temples, which are symbols of India’s ancient and glorious civilization and sources of spiritual and social welfare. Some have also appreciated his government for resolving long-pending disputes and restoring harmony and justice among different faiths. Others have criticized his government for interfering in the temples, which are private and autonomous institutions that should be free from state control and intervention. Others have also accused his government of exploiting the temples for political gain and communal polarization.

Modi’s handling of temples is thus a controversial issue of governance and faith that has implications for India’s secular democracy, pluralistic society, and cultural heritage. He has tried to address this issue with his vision of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas” (Everyone’s Support, Everyone’s Development, Everyone’s Trust), which aims to ensure inclusive development and social harmony for all sections of society. He has also expressed his hope that India will emerge as a “Vishwa Guru” (World Teacher), which will guide humanity with its wisdom and values.