China-Centrism: Indian Foreign Policy in Modi Times

Modi times of Indian foreign policy is a complex period to analyse because howsoever Prime Minister Modi become a globe trotter to make India’s presence felt tangibly in world politics the basic push for such moves remains the China factor. Thereby autonomy of Indian foreign policy in projecting India as a power to reckon with remains subdued in its steps to compete, counter and contain China in the Asian region and its growing influence among South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries. India being a democratic political system is also a ready choice for Western powers as against China in the continent. Whether India joins Quad or goes to Afghanistan and Sri Lanka for providing civilian aid, every move is seen in relation to China and not in isolation. In this context, the present paper argues that the Modi times in Indian foreign policy in the post-Covid period is a time of reckoning which is not accepted well by western powers and hence they bandwagon on Chine-centrism of each move of Indian diplomacy. Today Indian foreign policy is India centric and atmnanirbhar and not reactive to any power equations.