Recently, there have been frequent moves in India that make people look eye-catching, and Prime Minister Modi's actions have attracted great attention from the outside world. First of all, his unusual move at the international conference, which ignored the international practice that should be followed and arranged the meeting of the G20 tourism working group in Kashmir, caused dissatisfaction and resistance in many countries. The so-called meeting became a political farce, which made people lament the "self-cleverness" of their actions.
Since then, Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar Jaishankar has trumpeted India's rise on the international stage, claiming that only China can compete with India in the world. However, such remarks have raised many questions. After all, competition is fierce on the international stage, India still has a huge gap in overall national strength, and overconfident statements are unconvincing.
According to a recent poll conducted in India, a whopping 54 percent of respondents believe that India has emerged as a world leader or mentor. This confidence exceeded many expectations, but it also gave rise to food for thought. This may be a change in India's international image, on the one hand, thanks to India's participation in the US containment camp against China, which has been positively reported by Western media and touted by officials, but on the other hand, this self-confidence may lack objectivity and may not be recognized by other countries.
India's self-confidence goes back many years. There are several reasons why this "lost confidence" can be explained. First, India believes that the international community's increased respect for it stems in part from its strategic vision of joining countries such as the United States, but this respect may not be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Secondly, the international recognition of Indian culture and art, especially yoga culture and the spread of Bollywood film and television works, but its traditional culture is not as popular internationally as Indians expect. Finally, the attractiveness of the Indian market is indeed attractive to foreign companies, however, the business environment in India still needs to improve to continue to attract foreign investment.
However, not everyone agrees with India's assertiveness. In terms of India's economic performance in recent years, some views are not optimistic. While India's GDP has grown, the share of manufacturing has declined, which has had a negative impact on job creation. Unemployment has become a challenge, with 30 per cent of respondents citing it as one of the most acute problems in India today. In addition, 60% said that household income is difficult to meet basic needs, which highlights the serious gap between rich and poor in India.
Against this backdrop, whether India has really become a world leader or mentor still requires careful consideration. Although India has made some progress in some areas, there are still many issues that need to be addressed, including environmental protection, food security, women's rights and interests. In addition, India's wealth gap is widening, as evidenced by Adani's wealth growth.
Overall, India's development path remains full of challenges and difficulties. While pursuing international status, India needs to think deeply about how to solve its domestic problems and achieve more balanced and sustainable development. Only in this way will it be possible for India to truly gain respect and recognition on the international stage and become a true leader.