MANAMA: Narendra Modi’s foreign policy and economic vision will take center stage during a discussion at the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) in Bahrain titled ‘the Business and Foreign Policies of the New Government of India.’
Modi, the dynamic leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was sworn in as India’s Prime Minister last month.
The BJP had won 282 seats in the Lok Sabha, meaning that this is the first time in 30 years that a single party has achieved an absolute majority in the Indian parliament.
Now decisions can be made more quickly and effectively, without the ‘pulls and pushes’ of coalition politics that hampered the Congress-led government over the past decade, which had been dependent on its coalition partners for 60-odd seats to ensure a majority in parliament. In a surprise move Modi invited the leaders of the South Asian region, including the Prime Minister of Pakistan, to his inauguration ceremony and conducted substantial bilateral talks with the heads of government of India’s neighbours on his very first day in office. The Modi government is expected to focus on two key priorities – economic reviv-al, as the clear downslide in growth in the last few years has affected investor confidence, and domestic governance, amidst several allegations of corruption scandals during the Congress-led government.
Modi has also indicated his government will be more open to foreign investment, including in strategic sectors. This panel discussion will debate how India’s new government will shape the business and foreign policy of the country in the coming year.