PM Modi has a lot of supporters: Ex-German diplomat Walter on India polls (IANS Interview)

New Delhi, April 25 (SocialNews.XYZ) Under the helm of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has become one of the most important voices of the Global South. When you travel to India and speak to people, it is evident: PM Modi has a lot of supporters. And Germany follows what's happening in India.

These were the candid views of Walter J. Lindner, the German Ambassador to India from 2019 until his retirement in 2022, in an exclusive virtual interview with IANS on Thursday. He's observing with admiration the world's biggest elections in India.

Lindner travelled to India through all corners -- from backpacker times in the '70s to the Ambassador years until his retirement. His latest book, 'The Old West and the New South. What we should learn from India before it is too late', is to be published in English too soon.

On how does the Western world see India emerging as a global South leader under the helm of PM Modi, the former ambassador, who could be easily identified in the diplomatic streets of the national capital during his stint as the Ambassador riding around in his vehicle of choice -- a red coloured Ambassador named Ambi Aunty, told IANS that India has become one of the most important voices of the Global South.

"The country has always cultivated pragmatism and a balance of interests in her foreign policy. Last year's impressive lead and conduct of the G20 Presidency was the best evidence of this ability to skillfully balance today's multipolarity of world politics.

"And the fact that India nevertheless is still waiting for a permanent seat of the United Nations Security Council is nothing less than a certificate of incapacity of the UN."

Prime Minister Modi is hoping to win a third successive term. Recent opinion polls suggest that PM Modi's BJP and its allies will win the elections.

Responding to a question about how you feel people of India like PM Modi for his Hindutva supremacist approach, Walter, who witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 in his first year of a diplomatic career, replied, "When you travel in the country, when you speak to people from all walks of life, it's evident: PM Modi has a lot of supporters. You can't win two landslide victories in a row without being popular. And without having a record of a number of especially economic achievements and the increasing importance of India in the world.

"Then there is his ascetic lifestyle and his humble family background. And yes: renationalisation and emphasis on being Indian has certainly gained weight under PM Modi.

"National pride, Indian self-confidence and awareness of 7,000 years of extraordinary history and unique culture increased. His critics indeed blame him harshly for Hindu nationalism and shrinking spaces for minorities. The Indian voters will have to throw the dice.

"As Western observers, we should be cautious of general or quick judgements in this complex country, where everything is true, but also the opposite."

On being asked, Will PM Modi remain at the helm? He was categorically clear in saying, "The voters of India will answer that question."

Walter, who was spiritually rejuvenated after paying obeisance as the diplomat at Harmandir Sahib, the Sikh's holiest and largest shrine in the world, popularly known as the Golden Temple in Amritsar, said voting in India is the largest democratic election in the history of mankind.

In the seven-phase 18th Lok Sabha elections, whose second phase of voting is scheduled for April 26, the initial phase saw a turnout of approximately 64 per cent despite summer heat.

"And they happen in the world's most populous country. About 969 million people with the right to vote, and 15 million electoral assistants -- to name just a few superlatives. How could those elections not be important for the rest of the world? Lots of interviews with German media, keynotes and panels in the past three weeks made me realise how many people in Germany follow what's happening in India, despite news focuses on Russia's war in Ukraine, Israel and Gaza or Iran tensions."

Just how big is India's 2024 election for the western world? Will the election be democratic?

At this, the former diplomat and professional musician replied, "India has plenty of experience with elections, at federal and state level.

"A democracy must always be vigilant whether it's undermined from the inside. But India's democracy is the largest in the world, it's robust and it has mastered many challenges brilliantly in recent decades. Not every democracy has to look identical, different world regions offer diverse political, climatic, colonial cultural or religious peculiarities and not every social development of Western states is also being shared by the rest of the world.

"Today already less than 20 per cent of the world's population live in Western countries. Should the 20 per cent tell the other 80 per cent how the world has to function? Yes, there are common values and universal standards, but no one in the Global South has forgotten that the West has ignored them far too often. So double standards are not well received, nor are moral finger-pointing."

His latest book is mainly about India, and his long journey through all corners of India. It's also about India's role in the world of today and within the Global South, about Western self-centeredness, about spirituality, about modesty and above all about life.

"What can we learn from India? India is now a lot that Germany is no longer: young, dynamic and innovative...For Germany and several others, India is an economic, environmental and strategic partner in an increasingly uncertain world," Walter added.

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at gulatiians@gmail.com)

Source: IANS