Former Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar on Wednesday lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Swadeshi foreign policy," crediting it for changing the "mood" and "tone" of President Donald Trump on discussing tariffs and other "trade barriers" between the two countries.
Akbar also referred to National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval as the Prime Minister's "global crisis manager," saying that most of the negotiations are happening "quietly" and not in press conferences.
The message, he says, has been given to the US that India "will not be bullied," after PM Modi took a stand. "President Trump's change of mood, change of tone, change of language is powerful evidence of the effectiveness of Prime Minister Modi's Swadeshi foreign policy. When Prime Minister Modi took the stand, basically, it was based on a very simple fact that India will not be bullied," Akbar told ANI in Goa's Mapusa.
The former minister said the message has been clearly conveyed to Washington, adding that people "often underestimate Indian nationalism." "I hope that President Trump's acolytes, his trade officials, have also heard what the President has just said and I hope that they now understand the merits of silence. Being abusive towards India will not lead to counter-abuse because we deal a mature hand, but it will be counterproductive," he added. -- ANI
