Message to world: Doing business with Modi sarkar is very likely post 2014
Modi government from Sunday’s electoral triumph has been more strategic than political. It put to rest the notion in some international circles that India could enter some sort of a lame-duck phase after this round of assembly polls.
Instead, the message now is just the opposite: engage the Modi government with all intent and seriousness.
This is an important message from a GoI standpoint because while it’s usual practice for governments to wind down before national elections, any perception of losing heft increases vulnerabilities in the current unpredictable geopolitical context. There is a good chance that foreign powers put off or drag their decisions, or even act difficult during this period, just so that they pick up threads with a new government.
This is also true of foreign companies and MNCs, who prefer to hedge their bets until a national election is over.
What the results of these state elections have done is significantly tilted the odds in favour of Modi’s continuation in power, thus posing the question before foreign governments and other entities to bet on taking an early call on India than wait for the parliamentary polls. This clarity will undoubtedly strengthen the PM to take bold decisions even in the last few months of his current term.
More significantly, Modi’s perception among other heads of government — and, by extension, the perception of his government — will be one of a leader likely to return to power.
Not many leaders in democratic nations within the G20 can boast of this positioning.
For once, India is scoring high on political stability, while more mature democracies like the US, Britain and France are grappling with a polarised and factionalised domestic political environment. Many of
