India is the mother of all democracies, says Modi at U.N. General Assembly

Targets Pakistan, China on exporting terror, ignoring rules-based global order

Terming India the “mother of all democracies”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a defence of the state of democracy in India at the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday, referring to his own journey as a politician as an example in his speech.

In a wide ranging address, that began with a condolence message for victims of the Covid pandemic, Mr. Modi spoke about climate change, poverty alleviation, developments in Afghanistan, and UN Security Council reform.

He also took aim at Pakistan and China respectively with references to support to terror groups and violating the international rules based order. However, Mr. Modi did not mention either country by name, in contrast to Pakistan PM Imran Khan who named India more than a dozen times, in a speech that focused on Kashmir. India later responded to his speech.

“I represent a country known as the mother of all democracies,” Mr. Modi said, adding that India has entered its 75th year of independence but had democratic traditions for thousands of years. “Our diversity is a symbol of our strong democracy, where dozens of languages and hundreds of dialects are examples of a vibrant democracy. It is Indian democracy’s strength that a small child who once helped his father at a tea stall is today representing India as its prime minister at the UN General Assembly,” said Mr. Modi, referring to himself in the third person.The Prime Minister’s statement at the United Nations came a day after his visit to Washington, where both U.S. President Joseph Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris had underlined the need for strengthening democracy and respecting human rights. In his response to those comments, Prime Minister Modi had said that democracy is a shared value, with his remarks at the United Nations adding to that response, particularly his decision to provide his own personal example at the world body.

Speaking about the Indian month-long presidency at the UN Security Council in August, Mr. Modi said India had built global consensus on the issue of maritime security and, in a possible reference to the Indo-Pacific, said the rules-based world order must be strengthened.

Mr. Modi also referred to the issue of the “origins of the Covid virus” and the cancellation of the World Bank’s “Ease of Doing Business Index”, both of which have been laid at China’s door for a lack of transparency in global institutions.

Turning to veiled references on Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan, Mr. Modi said “regressive mindsets were giving terrorism a political meaning” .

“We must be alert that no country uses Afghanistan's vulnerability for its own selfish interests to use it as a tool,” he added.

Earlier, in response to Pakistan PM Khan’s UNGA speech, Indian diplomat at the UN mission Sneha Dubey said he had “misused the UN platform to spread propaganda”, and accused Pakistan of giving terrorists a “free pass”, actively “harbouring and aiding” them while minorities faced attacks in the country.