NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is back home after a five-day, three-country tour in the Indian Ocean region. Analysts say Mr Modi has managed to reclaim some lost influence in the region during the visit.
Crowds chanted ‘Modi, Modi’ wherever he went as the prime minister went on a charm offensive in the region. Mr Modi promised an easier visa regime for people from Seychelles, Mauritius and Sri Lanka who wish to visit India. He also promised easier access for businesses looking to invest in India.
Mr Modi said: “We must promote greater collaboration in trade, tourism and investment, infrastructure development, marine science and technology, sustainable fisheries, protection of marine environment, and overall development of ocean or blue economy.”
In Seychelles, a grouping of islands closer to the African coast than India, Mr Modi promised infrastructure development and major initiatives in defence and coast guard sectors. In Mauritius, India will upgrade air and sea links in the Agalega Island, which will enhance the country’s anti-piracy operations and also be a listening post for the Indian military.
Ninety percent of India’s trade and oil traverses through these sea routes and keeping them under surveillance is a priority. Sushant Sareen, a consultant at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, said: “So, for India to step back and not do anything in the face of China’s aggressive diplomacy in the region was sending out a negative signal. I think this whole new Indian Ocean rim strategy, which is now being evolved, tends to put things back in a certain order.”
In Sri Lanka, Mr Modi visited civil war-torn Jaffna in the north, where majority of the population are Tamils. There he handed over thousands of houses constructed by India to the internally displaced Tamil people.
India and Sri Lanka also concluded a deal whereby India will be developing an oil tank farm in eastern Sri Lanka, something that could make the island nation a major petroleum hub. Sri Lanka is strategically located on a shipping route between Gulf oil exporters and East Asian consumers.
India literally distributed frigates, coastal radars, choppers, military aircraft and residential houses, with military and humanitarian assistance going side by side. The Indian prime minister’s visit to Seychelles, Mauritius and Sri Lanka might have been prompted to counter China’s growing influence in the region but it turned out to be a major demonstration of India’s hard and soft power in the Indian Ocean neighbourhood.
