US presidential election: Trump and Harris aiming to leverage PM Modi's great connect with diaspora, believes former FS

New Delhi: Highlighting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stature on the global stage is something that leaders across the world acknowledge right now, former Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Thursday that, as the US presidential election nears, both camps - Republican and Democratic - will aim at leveraging PM Modi's great connect with the Indian diaspora for their success.

The race to White House remains incredibly close between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris as the election date (November 5) draws close. The battleground states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania - all having a sizable population of Indian community which has distinguished itself in the United States over the last many decades could especially play a significant role in the final result.

"Since Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister in 2014, his effort has been to strengthen relations with the Indian community and connect them with India's development. The Indian community exists in several swing states like Pennsylvania and Georgia, where their votes and financial contributions remain crucial. If we look at it, both camps are aiming to leverage Prime Minister Modi's great connect with the Indian community for their benefit," Shringla told IANS in an exclusive interview.

A seasoned diplomat, Shringla has also been India's former Ambassador to the United States (2019-2020), having presented his credentials to then US President Donald Trump in January 2019 on assuming charge in Washington.

"One thing we have always been proud of is that the India-US relationship has bipartisan support. This means that whether it's Republicans or Democrats, we enjoy very strong support. Prime Minister Modi had a very good relationship with President Obama, a strong relationship with President Trump, and continues to have a good relationship with President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Undoubtedly, whoever becomes the next president of the United States, Prime Minister Modi will maintain a good relationship with the leader. India and the United States will continue their strategic partnership as they have in the past and it will only become stronger and broad-based," maintains Shringla.

He believes that PM Modi's recent visit to the US came at a pivotal time as it provided New Delhi an opportunity to connect with Washington on a range of key issues, regional as well as global.

After serving as the Foreign Secretary of India, Shringla was appointed the Chief Coordinator for India's G20 Presidency in 2023 and continued working closely with the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

"I think it is very clear that Prime Minister Modi's stature on the global stage today is something that leaders across the world acknowledge. His contributions to addressing the challenges the world faces today are significant, especially in the way we conducted our G20 presidency during a difficult time when there were ruptures across the globe on issues where countries struggled to find a common ground. India was able to bring them together and reach a consensus on important matters, including the Ukraine conflict," Shringla told IANS.

Praising PM Modi's peace initiatives, the erstwhile career diplomat stated that India can play a major role in de-escalating the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran.

"There is a direct possible confrontation between Iran and Israel. Both are fairly capable states in terms of their military capacities and can pose a serious challenge in terms of military capabilities. The military escalation that could go beyond these two countries is what I think is a concern and it is incumbent on all leaders to try and see how this situation can be brought under control. That is why PM Modi, when he spoke to Israeli PM Netanyahu recently, said that there is no place for terrorism in this world but we have to de-escalate this conflict and India is ready to offer its good offices in any way that can lead to peace and stability in the region."

He also reflected on the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, insisting that PM Modi remains one global leader who has the ability and the stature to broker peace between Kyiv and Moscow.

"There is a risk that the conflict again could go beyond the Russia-Ukraine theatre. And, at this time we don't see any other initiative that is moving towards peace. Prime Minister Modi is the one global leader who has the ability and the stature to go to both Russia and Ukraine and to talk to them and to see whether they can be brought to the negotiating table to find a solution to this conflict. As he has said, there is no place for war in today's era and we have to work towards global peace and stability," Shringla commented.