Indian Ocean currents, Modi turns tides

Years of neglect and reinvigorating historical tiesPM Modi was on a mission the past week The Indian Ocean rim is being seen as a region that has traditionally provided strategic economic and political opportunities but which have not been exploited to their full potential It took overarching Chinese aspirations for India to get into action And last week Prime Minister Modi was in Seychelles Mauritius and Sri Lanka doing precisely that Not with a clenched fist but with folded hands being a generous ally a big brother nudging and chastising but with an arm on the shoulder Making it quite clear that cutting the familial chord would have notverypretty consequences Not that any of these countries want to Moreover cooperating wholeheartedly would bring in huge benefits to the people and economies of their country The message was delivered in unambiguous statements and gestures Mr Modi brought the chequebook not just MoUnaamas There were frigates and radars distributed along with homes for the needyPrime Minister Narendra Modi flags off a train in Talaimannar town the closest point to India in Sri Lanka He sent a message to that country that India was dealing with it as a whole PicAFPThe local media in all three countries gushed in admiration over Modirsquos personality He played to the galleries in all three countries which have sizeable population of Indian origin They rushed to click selfies with Mr Modi laughed at every joke in his speechesand there were many They went into raptures when he spoke a few words in the local language ldquoModi Modirdquo rent the air in every interaction that the Prime Minister had with locals And astute politicians saw the signalsThere were long request lists from politicians civil society leaders and businessmen and women for meetings with the Indian Prime Minister The PM had 40 official meetings in five days excluding several interactions with locals There was a lot of ground to cover An Indian Prime Minister had not made bilateral visits to these countries in decades And this is our extended neighbourhoodIn Seychelles and Mauritius the Prime Ministerrsquos task was relatively easier India comes with generous offers and meets with little resistance Maybe a little bit of bruising of egos but nothing that cannot be assuaged with some old fashioned diplomacy and stronger trade and defence tiesIt was Sri Lanka where the Prime Minister had to walk the tight rope This is a complex relationship While there was visible curiosity about the Prime Minister and the Tamils in the north were ecstatic about an Indian Prime Minister finally arriving there Modi had sent the message that India was dealing with Sri Lanka as a whole not piecemeal Yes the Tamils are dear to us because of ethnicity but so are the Sinhalas Buddhism unites us our ancient historical ties also bind us was the Indian Prime Ministerrsquos recurrent messageBut there are cross currents in Sri Lanka that are difficult to navigate Almost impossiblehellipa visible resentment over Indiarsquos role in internal affairs since the days of the Indian Peace Keeping Force IPKF Sri Lankan politicians resent Indiarsquos interference in its domestic affairs As one top businesswoman said to this columnist ldquoIndia can swallow usrdquo That would really cause some indigestion but then she didnrsquot find it humorousUnderstandably Sri Lankans cannot wrap it round their heads that India has valid interests in the foreign and domestic policy of the country While one pragmatic view is that without Indian assistance and support it is almost impossible to resolve the ethnic conflicts in the country find respectability in the international arena and erase the tag of being a human rights violator there is also a resistance against the idea of being so dependent on IndiaFormer President Rajapaksarsquos obdurate Chinacentric foreign policy has been the cause of major discomfort for India While President Sirisena has sought to reverse that he cannot be seen as completely toeing the Indian line The sharp statements by Prime Minister Wikremesinghe almost jeopardised the visit But the Sri Lankan PM was keen to put that aside and revise his attitude His leaningsthat may take some timeThe Modi administration recognises the fact that India did not step up to the task at hand for several decades China filled in that vacuum with its large purse and a keenness to do businessPrime Minister Modi has laid the groundwork for a major overhaul of Indiarsquos ties with many countries in the neighbourhood There is a clear and sharp articulation of Indiarsquos foreign policy and strategic interests in the South Asian region and the extended neighbourhood The dealings with our neighbours are more robust which could seem portentous to critics But this administration is going forth with conviction and in a hurry After all there is a lot of catching up to doSmita Prakash is Editor News at Asian News International You can follow her on twitter smitaprakash