News Mania Desk / Piyal Chatterjee / 7th November 2024
In addition to congratulating his “friend” Donald Trump on his “spectacular victory” in the US presidential election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was looking forward to working with him again to fortify the India-US strategic and comprehensive partnership.
In a sharply divided country, Trump, 78, overcame a felony past and charges of authoritarianism to win a landslide victory in the US presidential election on Wednesday.
Modi was among the first few world leaders to speak to Trump on phone on Wednesday evening and said in a post on X that he had a “great conversation with my friend, President @realDonaldTrump, congratulating him on his spectacular victory”. He said he was looked forward to working closely with Trump again to further strengthen India-US relations across technology, defence, energy, space and other sectors.
Earlier, Modi congratulated Trump on X alongside world leaders like UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron. In a different post on X, he stated, “Let’s work together to improve our people and to promote global peace, stability, and prosperity.”
According to those with knowledge of the discussion, both leaders decided to cooperate for global peace. They cited Trump’s remarks that Modi is a “magnificent man” and that India is a wonderful country. They further cited Trump as stating that Modi was among the first international leaders he spoke to following his election victory and that he views Modi and India as “true friends.”
Congress leader and leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, wished success to Trump. “Congratulations on your victory, @realDonaldTrump! Wishing you success in your second term as US President. All the best to @KamalaHarris in her future endeavours,” he said on X.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said, “The truth is that we’ve had experience of Mr. Trump as president for four years already, so there shouldn’t be too many surprises. We know that he’s a very transactional leader.”
Although they warned that Trump’s protectionist tendencies would cause problems, experts said India will be eager to continue the momentum in the developing strategic and technological alliance with the US under a second Trump administration.
US President Joe Biden has called the India-US cooperation one of the “most consequential” in the world, and it has benefited from bipartisan backing in a fragmented American polity in recent decades. However, S Jaishankar, the minister of external affairs, stated that the decision is unlikely to alter the US’s inclination to be cautious about its international commitments before the complete results of the election are announced.
“Probably starting from (president Barack) Obama, the US has become much more cautious about its global commitments,” he said, pointing to the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan under Biden. “President Trump may be more articulate and expressive in that regard,” he said at a panel discussion in Canberra with his counterparts from Australia and New Zealand.
Jaishankar added: “We have to prepare for a world where…the kind of dominance and generosity the US had in the early days may not continue to be the norm.”
Former ambassador Arun Singh, who was India’s envoy to the US during 2015-2016, pointed out that the first Trump administration was supportive of India in many ways in developing the technology partnership.
“This included a higher level of technology authorisation through the grant of Strategic Trade Authorization-1 (STA-1) status in 2018, and treating India at par with NATO partners for sharing sensitive technologies,” Singh said.
Singh also mentioned how security cooperation was strengthened during the previous Trump administration, particularly in the days following the 2020 commencement of the military confrontation with China on the Line of Actual Control. He claimed that the US had exchanged intelligence, leased two cutting-edge drones, and given the troops winter gear.
Ajay Bisaria, a former ambassador who worked for the World Bank in Washington from 2004 to 2008, stated that he thought Trump may increase his investment in India and “double down on the contestation with China” as a result of the quickly shifting geopolitical landscape.
“This could lead to movement of more private investment and location of supply chains in India,” Bisaria said.
Trump’s protectionist tendencies, however, has led experts to caution that India might have to contend with challenges in trade, especially tariffs, and immigration. “Trump has been very unpredictable and erratic [on such issues],” Singh said.
Bisaria too said trade and immigration could emerge as “sore points” though he believed “Trump 2.0 may be milder on these issues”. He added, “We could have an unpredictable White House but the policies may not be as sharp as the rhetoric.”
Sameer Patil, a Mumbai-based security analyst, said he expects the US to maintain the “same behind-the-scenes approach” in engaging with India on the so-called murder for hire plot. “Knowing Trump’s penchant for rhetoric, there could be support for territorial integrity and preventing anti-India activities on American soil, as he will be keen to set a contrast with the Canadian approach on this matter,” Patil said.
