Exuding confidence that India will develop all the requisite national strengths that will make it a leading power in the times to come if the Narendra Modi government retains power, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said the alternative before the country is a ”return to the failed policies of the past, one that divide our society, diminish our economic achievements and are pessimistic about our prospects”.

He said that at the global level, there is a broader consensus about India as a key source of growth, a valuable addition to supply chains and as an important pool of talent.

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”I have every confidence that as the people of our country make their choice, the world will welcome our efforts in the Amrit Kaal to move towards a Viksit Bharat. It is a journey in which all of you, as creators of jobs, of technologies and of wealth, will make a crucial contribution. Just as we, in the government, are preparing for the 125 days after, all of you will surely be applying yourselves too, to similar endeavours,” he said addressing the CII Annual Business Summit.

Dr Jaishankar also took a dig at China for violating sea and land agreements and Pakistan for promoting terrorism and extremism, without directly naming the two neighbouring countries.

”In Asia, new tensions have emerged in land and sea as agreements are dishonoured and rule of law disregarded. Terrorism and extremism have started to consume those who have long practiced it. In many ways, we are actually going through the perfect storm,” he said.

Observing that the anxieties that stem from the Covid experience have been further magnified by the conflicts, tensions and divides, the minister said a decade and a half ago, the narrative was one of harmonious globalisation, of peaceful rise and of win-win situations. Even a few years ago, the prospect of significant conflicts on a prolonged basis was inconceivable.

”Instead today, what is the reality we are staring at? The Ukraine conflict is now in its third year. A huge escalation of violence in west Asia/Middle East that could spread beyond. Disruption of logistics due to war, sanctions, drone attacks and climate events. The world is experiencing a 3F crisis of fuel, food and fertilizers,” he said.

For India, he said, the task is to mitigate the impact of all that was happening and contribute to stabilizing the world to the extent possible. ”It is this judicious combination of ‘Bharat First’ and ‘Vasudaiva Kutumbakam’ that defines our image as ‘Vishwa Bandhu’,” he added.