Narendra Modi's swearing-in: Kick-off point for a new foreign policy
By inviting the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) leaders to his swearing-in ceremony, Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi has sent out a powerful message on foreign policy. After an electoral campaign where "Candidate" Modi had made several disquieting statements about the region - from criticising Bangladesh for its treatment of the Hindu minority and on illegal immigrants, to threatening Pakistan over the export of terror and firing at the Line of Control (LoC), it would seem as if Prime Minister-designate Modi wants to start on a fresh page. After all, the irony would be lost on none; that after criticising caretaker Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for "serving biryani to the former Pakistan PM," Mr. Modi will now preside over his first banquet in office to which he has invited the Pakistan Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif. To then give the South Asian neighbourhood such importance right at the start of his term is indeed a significant step.
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If Twitter is a barometer of governance and engaging with the masses, the Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi has already won the perception battle. The outgoing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Twitter handlers have stopped tweeting and the PM-elect Modi has been tweeting on the matters concerning the nation.
