PM Narendra Modi 's pep talk to children on exams

By: Aarti Tikoo Singh India and Pakistan have ratcheted up offensive rhetoric following the terror attack on the Sunjuwan army camp in Jammu actuating nervous appeals for dialogue and peace from many including Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti. From NDA government s Left-wing economics to its Hindu Right-wing politics there is a lot worth criticizing but in all fairness Prime Minister Narendra Modi contrary to his pre-election bluster on Pakistan did start off from a reconciliatory position. Exercising the advantage of his massive mandate he attempted to establish friendly relations with his counterpart Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who is now ousted. For the first time since 2012 India and Pakistan resumed foreign secretary level talks in 2015 which were followed by Prime Ministerial diplomatic talks in Ufa. The initial bonhomie between India and Pakistan began dissipating after the terror strikes first on Gurdaspur police station in July 2015 and later on Pathankot Air Force base in January 2016. But the bilateral relations did not go into a consequential tailspin until the September 2016 terror attack on the Army camp in Uri amid three-month-long massive mob violence sponsored by Pakistan in Kashmir following Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani s killing by Indian security forces. India resorted to https://give.everydayhero.com/au/kkmobik surgical strikes against terror camps and their launch pads across the Line of Control and ever since Pakistan has intensified its offensive against India on all fronts sub-conventional (terrorism) conventional (border skirmishes) and diplomatic (China-driven stratagems). To the political opposition and many in policy corridors in India this low in the bilateral relations is solely an outcome of the Modi government s muscular militaristic approach and its failure to engage Pakistan in talks. This is disingenuous because the bellicose relationship between India and Pakistan has existed since the Partition of the subcontinent. India has had both talks and wars with Pakistan for the last 70 years over Kashmir and the outcome has been consistently negative regardless of who came to power in either of the two states. From Tashkent declaration to Shimla agreement and from Lahore declaration to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee s unilateral ceasefire declaration and to Modi s distinctive inter-personal diplomacy India s affability has repeatedly been followed by Pakistani aggression. After three wars with India and following the defeat of Soviet Union in Afghanistan by Taliban Pakistan switched from conventional to sub-conventional warfare in the late 1980s given its cost-effectiveness and maximum impact. The net result of all track I or track II diplomacy in the last three decades therefore has been a constant cross border terrorism with the exception of 1999 Kargil war. Pakistan is convinced that its sub-conventional approach will deliver victory in Kashmir just as it did in Afghanistan. As against this Pakistani outlook the thinking among some policy wonks in New Delhi is that two nuclear states cannot afford to escalate tensions. It is often forgotten that two nuclear superpowers--US and erstwhile USSR which held each other in a balance of terror through the Cold War did not press the atomic button even in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. Besides the détente between the two did not emerge until the Soviet Union reached approximate nuclear parity with the US in the early 1970s and until Mikhail Gorbachev steered the state away from excessive military spending and enforced domestic reform. Pakistan like the Soviet Union believes in not only reaching a nuclear and military parity with India but wants to supersede India on that account. It has moved from limited nuclear deterrence to a full-spectrum deterrence and at the same time realigned itself from being an ally of the US to now almost China s protectorate in the new dynamic world-order post-Trump. Pakistan s geo-strategic objectives in Afghanistan and Kashmir which are defined by its military-mosque industrial complex and not at variance with those of the civilian leadership remain unchanged. Therefore talks or no talks India has and will continue to receive only terror from Pakistan until Kashmir is resolved . And even if Kashmir were settled Pakistan s paranoia about India which it considers an existential threat since the creation of Bangladesh in 1971 it will remain adversarial towards India and open new fronts of proxy war as it did after its Khalistani terrorist movement was defeated in Punjab. With the help of China which also seeks to contain India Pakistan will pursue policies to undermine India s influence in Afghanistan by supporting Taliban and to that end China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) only strengthen its goals. Given this scenario India s foreign policy towards Pakistan which has historically been defensive-offensive will follow the normal course from talks to disruption and from disruption to talks. However not talking at the table across each other is talking by other means and talking on one s own terms. The Modi government during the current disruption has determined the terms of non-engagement instead of being inactive as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was during his second term. In the absence of a détente India has escalated the cost for Pakistan s cross-border terror pressure from the Trump administration to act against Kashmir-centric terror groups and their leaders NIA investigations in terror funding of Kashmiri separatists intensified counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir and cross-LoC limited strikes. These measures will be followed by talks at some point but for now without a Mikhail Gorbachev in Pakistan and a tangible détente encouraged by Pakistan Modi has no immediate incentive to become Ronald Reagan.
Written by Esha Roy | Agartala | Updated: February 16 2018 8:55 am Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Photo: Reuters) Related News Valley students hear PM s exam advice say opportunities must be expandedMein aapka dost hoon: PM Narendra Modi shares some pre-exam tipsJustin Trudeau India visit: Raise Rohingya pellet guns with Narendra Modi Amnesty urges Canadian PMGIVING his party s high-octane campaign a final push before voting on February 18 Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for uprooting the Communists and throwing them away to clear the way for development in the state. His rally today his fourth in this campaign was one of the largest seen in the state in recent times thousands of supporters crammed the Astabal Maidan while large crowds gathered outside its gates to listen to Modi promise to take Tripura to the pinnacle of progress and say that the turnout was evidence the BJP was coming to power in the state. No Indian Prime Minister in the history of the country has ever received the kind of love which I have received from the people of Tripura Modi said. Aisa pyaar kisi ke naseeb mein nahi hota jo mujhe mila hai Agartala mein (no one is fated to get as much as love as I have received from Agartala). Aur main is pyaar ko byaj ke samit chukaunga. Is pyar ko main vikas ke saath lautaunga. Tripura ko main vikas ke uchaiyo tak leke jaaoonga. (I will repay this love with interest. I will return this love with development. I will take Tripura to the pinnacle of progress). Apologizing to those who were unable to get into the stadium Modi said There are four times the number of people outside as there are inside the grounds. I deeply apologise to them for not being able to make it in. I make a plea to you to ensure that the BJP comes to power in Tripura with a simple majority. Today s crowds have left no doubt in my mind that we will form the next government in Tripura. Now please make sure that we receive a thumping majority so that Communists ka naam o nishan na rahe Tripura mein (there are no Communists left in Tripura) I give you my promise that when the BJP Chief Minister in the next state government takes his oath I will come back here and attend the ceremony. Can any Tripura resident say with confidence that the state has seen any development? I believe the streets of Agartala have recently received traffic signals. And they (the Left) behave as if this is a great accomplishment. When there is a red light at the traffic signal are you able to move ahead? It is the same with this Red government. They have kept you from moving ahead they have stopped you from progressing. Just as vehicles are stopped mid-speed by the red light the Lal Jhanda has hampered the speed of development here he said. Accusing the CPM of fixing past elections Modi said I want to tell my opponents that for over two decades you have been coming to power by controlling the elections. By instilling fear among the voters and forcing them to vote for you. By threatening voters. Par itne din Dilli me Modi nahi baitha tha (But all these years Modi was not in Delhi.) March 3 ke baad ye jo aakhri jhanda hai ye bhi chala jayega. Communist logo ka is dharti pe naamo nishan nahi hoga. (After March 3 this last flag of the Communists will disappear. The country will be rid of Communists). I will make sure that these Communists who have bothered and threatened you all these years (will) pay for their mistakes. I hope that these elections will be peaceful. Wherever there is a Left government there is violence. They don t believe in democracy. In the past year 10 BJP workers have been killed. And last week our booth worker Madhusudan Deb has been killed. Id the CPM is afraid of just a booth worker they will shake in their boots when we come to power said Modi. Modi attacked the Congress party in Tripura saying that the Congress is fighting the elections in name only. The Congress which still has a certain number of dedicated voters in Tripura despite its majority having switched to the BJP is likely to play spoiler in many Assembly segments. The people of Agartala are educated. I don t need to tell you that the Congress and CPM are working hand in hand. Dilli me CPM or Congress ki dosti aur yahan pe kusti? The Congress and the CPM are not separate they are one and the same. Have you seen any of the top Congress leaders come to Agartala for this election? Kyuki unka sauda hua hai (It s because they have struck a deal) On the 18th when you go to vote please be alert. If you see something untoward happening files being shifted from here to there take a video immediately. Don t let a single file be removed. Don t let Tripura be destroyed. Communist logon ko ukhar phekne ka waqt aa chukka hai (it s time to throw the Communists out) and the whole country will celebrate said Modi. For all the latest North East India News download Indian Express App More Related News India committed to protecting environment says PM Modi Canadian PM Trudeau begins 7-day India tour tomorrow unlikely to meet Amarinder Tags: Manik Sarkar Narendra Modi Tripura Barb DewyreFeb 16 2018 at 4:58 pmSir when are you returning to Delhi to do some governing?(2)(0) Reply TRUTH SOULFeb 16 2018 at 2:31 pmDear Commies.. stop having false dreams at comment section of these rubbish english bikao media platforms. India is much beyond this people are electing BJP will continue to do so.. regardless of well crafted logical but yy comments you make here. HAVE AN AUKATT CHECK BEFORE MAKING COMMENTS!!(1)(3) Reply Mohit GroverFeb 16 2018 at 1:14 pmMANI SARKAR the most HONEST HARDWORKING UNCORRUPT CM of this country (and possibly the world!) with Rs 1000 in his bank account! Who works tireless for the welfare of the people of his state and it is there for everyone to see. This totally CORRUPT MODI is accusing this CM of corruption?!!..How dare he!..The people of Tripura will NEVER forgive Modi for making such a SICK MEAN MINDED LIES of a a statement! The people of Tripura will teach the BJP a bitter lesson by KICKING them out of the state in the next elections!(20)(9) ReplyTRUTH SOULFeb 16 2018 at 2:25 pmHe has ensured that everyone else too have the same bank balance in tripura. Bloody regressive commie aptards.(2)(0) ReplyGopal SriniwasanFeb 16 2018 at 7:13 pmDude Lotus has started blooming.Stop your RANT(0)(0) Reply Mohit GroverFeb 16 2018 at 1:13 pmWhen the BJP was in coalition with NPF and Zeliang as CM they had no problems with the so-called Teror funding but now that the BJP is out of alliance and wants to gain more power in Nagaland they part ways with the NPF and start an alliance with the traitor RIO who suddenly started a new stupid party NDPP and is contesting elections in Nagaland! The pet dog of BJP at the Centre - NIA started investigations against the NPF headed with CM Zeliang But the people of North East are not FOOLS to understand the dirty sick tricks of the BJP at the centre they know once they let the BJP more power in North East they will start banning the clothes then the food NE people (including Beef) they will start moral policing in NE. They will start saying the religion of the NE is a crime and they should convert into Hindutva! The people of NE will KICK the BJP OUT in the next elections(9)(2) Reply Sunder SunderFeb 16 2018 at 12:58 pmIronically on earlier visit Feku Modi off e r e d the voters of Tripura Hira i.e. diamond in place of Manik as cheap a gibe as Feku Modi could make on the popular C M of Tripura. The joke is now on Feku: Dare he speak of Hira now in the light of his crony Nirav Modi the diamond dealer fleeing the country after a diamond-studded scandal ?(12)(5) Reply Load More Comments
GUWAHATI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that the previous PM s were so busy that they hardly had time to visit Northeast India. Modi who was in Itanagar to inaugurate new secretariat building and Dorjee Khandu state convention said Earlier prime minister were so busy that they hardly had time to visit Northeast India however I am someone who cannot live without visiting Northeast India. Ever since Modi become the PM in 2014 he visited Arunachal Pradesh twice. Modi said Arunachal Pradesh is one such place in Northeast India where people understand and talk in Hindi. In a week tour to the country the number of times you hear Jai Hind people in Arunachal Pradesh in one day time utter Jai Hind so many times that it matches the one week of the whole country. He said People here have made it a part of their life style to greet each other as Jai Hind . This is the level of patriotism here. The prime minister added that in several places of Northeast India these days he comes across youths carrying banner that we want to learn Hindi . Modi said that the convention centre will promote conference tourism. I will push the private sector to have their general body meeting here. We had agriculture ministers conference in Sikkim with sole objective to ensure that everybody witnesses what Sikkim has done in the field of organic cultivation. The prime minister said After Moraji Desai I am the only Prime minister to attend the North Eastern council meeting. Probably other prime ministers were to busy to find time for this. Modi also laid foundation stone for a medical college. Modi said We are giving stress on human resource infrastructure and modern technology. Local doctors understand local heath problems. In the budget we have made provision for setting up wellness Centre in all the panchayats and around 22 000 modern markets for farmers. The prime minister The budget has come up with healthcare scheme for poor people. We are working to provide at least one medical college and hospital for each three parliamentary constituency. Presently scheme worth Rs 18 000 Crore is undergoing in Arunachal Pradesh.
Agartala: With Tripura set to vote on Sunday in the first-ever straight contest between the Left and the Right in an Assembly election Agartala witnessed a last minute poll pitch by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. From targeting the incumbent CPM-led government and the Opposition Congress to promising post-poll sops and better implementation of welfare schemes in the state the prime minister made an all-round pitch for his party in the Left bastion. Tripura will go to polls on 18 February with 59 of the 60 seats in fray. The election for Charilam constituency in Sepahijala district however will be held on 12 March due to the death of CPM candidate Ramendra Narayan Debbarma on 11 February the Election Commission announced on Thursday. Narendra Modi in Agartala. Abhishek Saha Team 101Reporters With BJP supporters trickling in the capital since Thursday morning both the venues were tinged saffron by the time Modi started speaking. While the party cadres expected roughly two lakh people to turn up a crowd of almost six lakh turned up for the two rallies a senior official of the RAF said. The loud cheers to Modi s speech explained why BJP still depends on the prime minister to give the final push during election campaigns. Romesh Chandra Sarkar who was a CPM supporter till May 2017 is now president of SC morcha the saffron party s Scheduled Caste wing in Town Bordowali constituency. Under Prime Minister Modi India has grown in stature Sarkar said adding that before Modi became the prime minister global leaders used to look down upon Indian leaders but now they treat him as their equal . Meanwhile security remained tight through out Thursday in Agartala. Superintendent of Police (Control Room) Pradip Dey said the security arrangements for Modi s rally were supervised by the SPG from New Delhi and he was not authorised to divulge details. Several companies of central armed police forces such as BSF CRPF SSB and ITBP were deployed. Five companies from the Rajasthan Police were also deployed to assist the state police in the security arrangements apart from several companies of the Punjab Armed Police. Before landing in Agartala to address two consecutive rallies in Shanti Bazaar and Asthabal Maidan on Thursday the prime minister also visited Arunachal Pradesh to participate in three events including the inauguration of the Dorjee Khandu state convention centre in Itanagar where he also announced to start a biweekly express train between New Delhi and Naharlagun. Left believes in gun-tantra The prime minister invoked the recent deaths of BJP workers claiming that the Left government was resorting to bloodshed sensing that its end is near. Modi claimed that the murders of 10 BJP workers and a journalist was carried out by the ruling party s supporters ahead of the polls. Speaking in Hindi Modi used rhyming words to hit out at Manik Sarkar government and make his point: Left parties do not believe in democracy (ganatantra) they believe in gun-tantra Modi said. They murdered our 10 BJP workers. They killed journalists he alleged. However it is noteworthy that the autopsy report of Madhusudhan Deb a booth president of BJP in the Ramnagar Assembly constituency who the prime minister claimed was killed stated the death as suicidal in nature . Deb s body was found was found hanging in Barjala on Sunday and the BJP has been crying foul over the death accusing the CPM of killing its cadres. The prime minister also said that if BJP comes to power Tripura would boast of the youngest government in the country. Almost all BJP candidates are young. The state will benefit from exuberance and energy of the youth Modi said. Will implement 7th pay commission Arguing that the Left government s arrogance has become a barrier to development and welfare of the people Modi asked why the state government employees in Tripura are still being paid as per the Fourth Pay Commission and not the seventh. Drawing an analogy between a red traffic signal and the traditional symbolic red colour of the Left parties Modi said that development was halted under the Reds rule just like a traffic signal. He promised the people that the Seventh Pay Commission will be implemented in the state and minimum wages will be provided to all workers if BJP comes to power. Why don t Tripura s labourers get minimum wage? You protest in Delhi and shut down factories in Mumbai but force people to die of starvation in Tripura Modi said. For some however it is the resentment with the Left that is pulling them towards the BJP and not just the popularity of the prime minister. Dilip Kumar Dev 66 who came from Town Bordowali Assembly constituency said he would support the saffron party even without Modi s pitch because the Left Front government only works for the party and exploits government employees by not giving them proper salaries. Meera Saha 35 a housewife from Town Bordowali in Agartala said the BJP is most likely to come to power in her constituency as the sitting MLA Ashish Saha who has switched to BJP from Congress has performed well. Her opinion was shared by Manisha Bhil 24 of Bamutia (SC) Assembly constituency who was more than 100 percent sure of the BJP coming into power. Exuding confidence that Krishna Dhan Das the BJP candidate from her constituency will win the election Bhil said the BJP candidates in the fray are all promising and should be given a chance. Sanjay Chowdhary 52 a shopkeeper attending the prime minister s rally said that Left Front being in power for 25 years should be enough of a reason for people to vote for change. Rajesh Bhil a 29 year old farmer said he used to support the CPM until he got fed up with their politics. They want the poor to remain poor he said. Armstrong Chanambam is an Imphal-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said he considers himself an outsider in politics and that he is not a politician from within. I entered politics rather late. A lot of people are not able to accept it he said during an interaction with students in his Pariksha pe Charcha programme in New Delhi. PM Narendra Modi speaks during an interactive session- Pariksha Par Charcha. PTI I am in the political system but I am not a politician by nature. My nature is to do something. The remark came when he was asked by a Class 11 student if he was ready for his board exams the next Lok Sabha election. Modi said he had the blessings of 1.25 crore Indians and election results were just a by-product of the work he does. Are you prepared for your exam or are you a bit nervous? asked Dilip a student from Delhi s Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya. Modi responded: I always believe that you keep studying trying to learn and keep all focus on learning. Make the student inside you as energetic as possible. Make this your lifestyle... Exam result and marks should be a by-product. You have done your work the result will come. If you go by marks you may not achieve what we really want... I work on the same principle in politics. All my time energy and strength and mental capability all should be spent on the 1.25 crore Indians. Elections will come and go they are all by-products he said. Modi added: Our situation is such that you have exams once in a year we have exams 24 hours in a day. He recalled how the Jana Sangh the predecessor of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost all the seats in a Gujarat election. They had 103 candidates. Whoever wanted to fight was given ticket. Out of 103 the security deposit of 99 was forfeited. Four candidates survived. With their deposit money they had a party and distributed sweets. He quoted a line from a poem of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee - haar nahi manunga (I will not accept defeat). Everyone should have such thinking Modi added.
By: IANS | New Delhi | Published: February 16 2018 8:59 pm Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Source: Twitter/@MEAIndia) Related News Justin Trudeau to meet PM Modi on February 23 defence on agendaValley students hear PM s exam advice say opportunities must be expandedMein aapka dost hoon: PM Narendra Modi shares some pre-exam tipsHuman rights organisation Amnesty International has urged Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to raise the threatened expulsion of Rohingyas from India during his upcoming visit here along with issues like use of pellet guns in Jammu and Kashmir and justice to 1984 anti-Sikh riots victims. Ahead of Trudeau s week-long India visit from Saturday Amnesty has also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to raise certain points related to human rights violation in Canada. According to a statement Amnesty International India and Amnesty International Canada are raising key human rights concerns in both countries and have called on both leaders to recognise that progress toward ensuring justice liberty and equality for all must be placed at the core of bilateral engagement and cooperation. The issues mentioned in the letter to Trudeau include possible forced mass expulsion of Rohingya people from India justice and accountability for 1984 Sikh massacre use of pellet-firing shotguns in Kashmir demonisation of religious minorities and for criminalisation of marital rape. It also asked him to press for decriminalisation of consensual gay sex between adults. The letter to Modi urges him to raise issues like developing a National Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence in Canada issues of indigenous groups like First Nations Metis and Inuit people among others. For all the latest India News download Indian Express App More Related News India committed to protecting environment says PM Modi Canadian PM Trudeau begins 7-day India tour tomorrow unlikely to meet Amarinder Tags: Justin Trudeau Narendra Modi Rohingya KKhushFeb 16 2018 at 9:13 pmModi ji is sliding down rapidly. only 40k Rohingya expulsion from India has lowered India s Image internationally. He followed RSS Diktat being anti Muslim organization pushed him in the pit. Modi seem one term PM. He deserves to loose forth coming elections in Tripura Nagaland Meghalaya Karnataka MP Rajasthan Chhatisgarh Odisha and finally at the General election in 2019. Last nail in the coffin.(3)(5) Reply
New Delhi: CommentsClose X With Class 10 and 12 board examinations approaching the month is a stressful time for the students. Keeping this in mind Prime Minister Narendra Modi will conduct an interactive session Pariksha Par Charcha: also being dubbed as Exam Ki Baat with students at Delhi s Talkatora Stadium on February 16 Friday with lakhs of students participating from across the country and asking the leader questions about how to take examinations without any worry. Pariksha Par Charcha comes two weeks after the Prime Minister launched his book titled Exam Warriors that contains 25 mantras to help students face examinations without stress. The interaction is aimed at bringing to the fore a discourse about the importance of stress-free examinations. Pariksha Par Charcha will begin at 11 am. Last week the Prime Minister had asked the students to share their thoughts on the upcoming examinations and suggest stress-busting techniques through the Narendra Modi app and the MyGov app. The students were also encouraged to ask questions on Twitter using the hashtag #ExamWarriors.BJP Delhi had tweeted today PM @narendramodi will do Pariksha par charcha with lakhs of students from across the country on 16 February 2018. Ask your questions on @mygovindia Narendra Modi App and Social Media using #ExamWarriors. Be a a Warrior not a Worrier! Download App at http://nm4.in/dnldapp. PM @narendramodi will do Pariksha par charcha with lakhs of students from across the country on 16 February 2018. Ask your questions on @mygovindia Narendra Modi App and Social Media using #ExamWarriors. Be a a Warrior not a Worrier! Download App at https://t.co/NhjlCJcWkY. pic.twitter.com/WgTp1zuC7s- BJP Delhi (@BJP4Delhi) February 14 2018PM Narendra Modi had also shared on Twitter that thousands of students from all over India will join the programme via technology. Share your thoughts as well as experiences about exams and ways to overcome stress with me on MyGov or the NM Mobile App. I will answer your questions during the programme on the 16th. @HRDMinistryhttps://t.co/PQLGNy1fTtpic.twitter.com/12bvJs0NyZ- Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 6 2018PM Narendra Modi tweeted on Wednesday Am happy to see the wide range of comments and questions for the programme on 16th. Students parents and teachers are also sharing their experiences which is wonderful. Do keep writing on MyGov or the Open Forum on the NM Mobile App. Am happy to see the wide range of comments and questions for the programme on 16th. Students parents and teachers are also sharing their experiences which is wonderful. Do keep writing on MyGov or the Open Forum on the NM Mobile App. https://t.co/PQLGNy1fTtpic.twitter.com/eBFGQA7qIk- Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 13 2018In the 193-page self-help guide for students Prime Minister has written that exams should be taken as a festival and one should be an exam warrior and not worrier.
By Frank F. Islam For the last half of the 20th century the United States was the world s beacon for democracy and economic development and India was a laggard. These roles are reversing as the end of the second decade of the 21st century approaches. India is becoming a beacon and the US is becoming a flashlight. In large part this is a consequence of leadership. India has a leader in Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is pursuing the future. The US has a leader in Donald Trump who is pursuing the past. President Trump is emphasising individualism and isolationism. Prime Minister Modi is stressing engagement and expansionism. Freedom House in its annual report titled Freedom in the World 2018 released in January noted that A long list of troubling developments contributed to the global decline of democracy but perhaps most striking was the accelerating withdrawal of the United States from its historical commitment to promoting and supporting democracy. The report s aggregate Freedom Score rating (aggregate score) for the US in 2017 was 86 out of 100 points. Its aggregate score for India was 77. This shows that overall on the dimensions being measured the US scores higher. But its score has dropped substantially from 94 in 2008. Today the majority of the countries that rate 90 and above on their aggregate scores are older and smaller. They do not have the size or stature to assume the international democratic leadership mantle if America under the Trump Administration relinquishes it. India does. In the last part of 2017 as Prime Minister Modi called for more democratic processes and participation in India s political parties it appears that he may encourage the country to step forward to take on that obligation. Time will tell how this plays out. What is certain at this point based upon Modi s opening address at the Davos Word Economic Forum on January 23 is that the Prime Minister is using India s democracy as a selling point and putting the country centre stage in terms of its own economic growth and promotion of international cooperation. In his Davos remarks Modi stressed that India is the largest democracy on planet Earth and provided a litany of the enormous opportunities for companies to invest in inclusive economic development . He also struck a strong free-trade globalisation note while calling for international unity to address the issues of climate change terrorism and protectionism. Modi didn t directly say that India is open for business. But his message throughout his comments was that it is. Trump on the other hand in his closing address at Davos stated explicitly that America is open for business... But the implicit message throughout his comments was that it is not. At various points during his speech Trump asserted: As President I will always put America first... ; The United States will no longer turn a blind eye to unfair economic practices... ; My administration is proud to have led historic efforts... to de-nuke the Korean peninsula . According to press reports Trump s speech was fairly well received while he stayed on script. Trump was however booed when he answered a question after concluding his prepared remarks by declaring ...it wasn t until I became a politician that I realised how nasty how mean how vicious and how fake the press can be. Therein lies the rub. Even in a setting where President Trump was trying to present his more cooperative side his inherent combative nature and self-centred perspective came though. By contrast Prime Minister Modi was collaborative and ecumenical in his presentation of self and India. This was most evident https://everplaces.com/kkmytata when he concluded his speech by observing: If you want wealth with wellness work in India; if you want peace with prosperity live in India; if you want health with whole life be in India. And our promise is that your agenda will be part of our destiny. We both will have a shared and successful future. To sum up: Trump s nationalistic communication to the world at Davos was My way or no highway. Modi s was Our way is the skyway. America s retrenchment under Trump leaves a leadership vacuum in the world. India under Modi appears poised to fill that vacuum. What stands out and is differentiating about Modi is his espousing a positive and constructive agenda in terms of world involvement. There is no assurance exactly where India will conclude its journey to world leadership. It can however be stated unequivocally near the beginning of 2018 that India is on the right trajectory and climbing upward. It can be stated with equal certainty that the US is not. It is on a glide path headed downward. This is true because those who live in the past and retreat from the playing field are restricting their future. (Frank F. Islam is an entrepreneur civic and thought leader based in Washington DC. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at ffislam@verizon.net)