Delhi. Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has praised India and Prime Minister Modi regarding the global forum Raisina Dialogue to be held in 2017. Abbott wrote on social media that this event is being organized every year in March since 2016 and now it has become one of the most important international dialogue forums in the world. According to him, creating such a platform is the result of a brilliant thinking of India, where leaders, experts and policy makers from all over the world openly discuss global issues. Abbott also compared the Raisina Dialogue with other major forums in the world. He said that this forum is better than events like the World Economic Forum held in Switzerland and Boao Forum of China. He said that forums like Davos are often dominated by rich and influential people, whereas in Raisina Dialogue, different ideas and countries get an opportunity to express their views equally. Here the discussion is not limited to just praising any government, but there is open debate on important issues like international politics, security, economy and diplomacy.
Praising the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Abbott said that Modi is counted among the most powerful leaders in the world, but despite this he has the special ability to listen to others. He told that during the Raisina Dialogue, Prime Minister Modi is present every year in the program to listen carefully to the speech of the chief guest, but instead of giving the speech himself, he gives a chance to other leaders to speak. Last year he listened patiently to New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, while this year he listened carefully to the views of Finland’s President Alexander Stubb. Abbott also said that perhaps there is an impact of spiritual experiences in the life of Prime Minister Modi. Modi had once lived the life of a Hindu ascetic and perhaps that is why despite being in power for so long, he did not become arrogant. Even after leading the country for more than a decade, Modi’s behavior appears humble and balanced, which makes him different from other leaders. Abbott also gave a clear response to the allegations of dictatorship in India. He termed these allegations as completely wrong and baseless. Abbott said that it is not right to talk about dictatorship in a country where fair and free elections are held, where the media and judiciary play their roles independently. Giving an example, he said that in the Raisina Dialogue, representatives of many countries who do not have good mutual relations also express their views openly. On this platform, representatives of countries like Israel and Iran also got full opportunity to express their opinion. The former Australian Prime Minister said that he himself has been personally participating in this program continuously since the year 2022 and he has seen that here people from different ideologies and countries express their views without any pressure. According to him, such an open and free platform cannot be possible in any country with a dictatorial system. This is the reason why Raisina Dialogue has today become an important symbol of India’s diplomatic strength and democratic values at the global level.
