For the last couple of days, Indian mainstream media has been abuzz with reports that Prime Minister Modi did not pick up President Trump’s calls five times. This is being projected by selective media as a matter of national pride.
Today, another news story claims that India will become the world’s second largest economy by 2039, overtaking China. This too is being framed as a sign that India remains unaffected by USA tariffs.
However, the reality on the ground is different. Fresh tariffs on Indian goods entering the USA began today. Cloth merchants, aquaculture farmers and several other sectors are deeply worried about their future. The question is, while the government projects strength, is it addressing the real concerns of its people? National pride is important, but diplomacy in the interest of the nation is even more crucial.
Meanwhile, the agriculture sector is already struggling. A shortage of urea is troubling farmers and India’s dependence on imports for such essentials raises serious concerns.
For decades, India has been known mainly for exporting manpower, often reduced to “body shopping” in the IT sector. The country has not produced a single globally recognized brand in laptops, mobile phones or tablets. No Indian social media platform has emerged either. Whatever be the social media platform, Insta, facebook, X, YouTube, TikTok all are foreign.
With such structural gaps, how realistic is the claim that India will rise to number two in the global economy by 2039, especially while clashing with the USA? Perhaps the bold predictions are more about rhetoric than reality.
Kiran Sharma
