By Binoy Viswam
The year-long ‘celebrations’ that the Modi government built up around the G-20 Summit have ended. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, due to electoral ambitions chose to design it more like a festival than with socio-political and diplomatic content. G-20, because of its very nature and proclaimed objectives, was expected to focus on socio-economic and political challenges before the world. Though there were marginal references on such issues intermittently, Narendra Modi’s emphasis was to create a larger-than-life image of himself aiming at 2024 elections. For this purpose, the G-20 presidency was cunningly utilised. It is generally known that G-20 presidency comes to member nations through mere rotation, but Modi and his storm-troopers tried to create an impression that it was because of Modi’s ‘Vishwaguru’ image, other member countries bestowed on him this responsibility.
The G-20 Summit was planned in such a way that prior to it, 100 events were organised in almost all the major cities of the country. A total of 12,300 participants were invited for various deliberations. The outcome of this large-scale mobilisation drill is not completely known to the people, but it is roughly stated by concerned sources that Rs 4,100 crores were spent only for the logistics of the great event. Prime Minister Narendra Modi once again proved his affinity for catchy slogans and colourful campaigns.
The watchword of the Summit was ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future.’ No doubt, for a casual onlooker these words may have a peripheral appeal, but the political, economic and ideological outcome of the summit was not true to the watchword. It is interesting to analyse the evolutionary trajectory of G-20, from the original foundations of G-7 which was initiated in 1975 soon after the oil crisis.
The major economies of the world were trying to find their own way to minimise the damages of the crisis on their economic stability. When geopolitical developments put forth the aspirations of the developing countries before the international agenda, it was necessary for G-7 to expand into G-20.The birth of G-20 was not a wholehearted initiative, but it happened as a tide of compulsions. On every single issue deliberated by G-20 there exists a clash of interests between the developed few and the developing many. The Delhi Summit was no exception to this.
A close watch of the deliberations in the summit and the Delhi Declaration itself would reveal the pressure from the G-7, which tried to mark its shadow on the character of G-20, supposedly a more inclusive group of nations. While the G-20 primarily aims at major issues related to the global economy, financial stability, climate change and sustainable development, the focus of debate was not on any of these. The war in Ukraine was the hot-topic as diplomats debated the ways in which the issue was to be included in the G-20 Leaders’ Declaration.
Agreements on crucial issues like climate change, global warming and migration received only scanty attention, both in deliberations and in the media. Indian people are still waiting for an understanding as to how the G-20 Summit is going to make an impact on livelihoods in India as rampant legalised loot of forest and natural resources by a few corporate houses continues unhindered under BJP rule. Prime Minister also wanted to create hype around another of his pet project, the Bio-fuel Alliance. What shape and execution it will take is to be seen as Modi has a record of promising pompous things but failing in delivery. Another ambitious announcement by him, the Solar Alliance, could not take off.
Opacity and lack of transparency are characteristics of the Modi rule. This international summit for which the Indian taxpayer paid also lacked accountability completely. While the Prime Minister was busy posing for candid pictures with leaders from around the world, none of them could speak to the press freely. Reports have surfaced that US President Joe Biden wanted to interact with the press, as is the convention, but this request was declined. Biden had to brief the press from Vietnam the next morning where he said what Modi wanted to avoid the most in Delhi. He said that “as I always do, I raised the importance of respecting human rights and the vital role that civil society and a free press have in building a strong and prosperous country with Modi.” We know the abysmal human rights record of the US. Still, these concerns in light of gross human rights violations, most recently in Manipur, selective targeting of civil society groups and a virtual gag on criticism from the press assume significance. However, Modi and his lackeys are aggressively peddling the ‘Vishwaguru’ narrative, omitting how the ‘Vishwaguru’ is being seen by others.
The New Delhi G-20 Leaders’ Declaration remained an attempt to reconcile and appease the positions taken by leaders from the western world and those from Russia and China. It is full of generic solutions for saving the world, with little follow-up as rivalries and fractures run deep in the group. Still a part of the declaration has grabbed attention. Para 78 of the declaration urges all parties to “promote respect for religious and cultural diversity, dialogue and tolerance.” People in India have recent recollections of these words and how RSS-BJP leadership, who controls the prime minister, has routinely demonised diversity, dialogue and tolerance.
These words from the G-20 Summit hosted by the ‘Vishwaguru’ are the litmus test on which Modi and Company should walk the talk. We all know who targeted minorities and said rioters can be recognised by their clothes. Modi government has actively curtailed all forms of dialogue, including in the Parliament by taking punitive measures against those critical of the government. Intolerance is being systematically bred in the society for continuation in power. Modi’s inflated ‘Vishwaguru’ portrayal should be measured by the yardstick of practical action. In that case, the 56-inch chest will deflate by a lot. (IPA Service)
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