Official sessions of the World Economic Forum (WEF) were held in Davos, on January 23, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered the “opening plenary”. Over 3000 global leaders, including CEOs, heads of states and governments, artists, and civil society members attended the summit that closed on January 26. Addressing leaders of the world, Modi said India's GDP has grown six times since the last time its prime minister attended the WEF.
“Last time an Indian PM came to Davos was in 1997, when Deve Gowda ji had come. That time our GDP was little more than 400 billion dollars, now it’s more than six times that figure,” he said. His 50 minute speech which was delivered in Hindi, served as a reminder to the world that India had finally “arrived”. It is safe to say the speech was not only for the world, but also for the leader's people back home. Reaction to the speech has mostly remained mixed, as is characteristic for anything Modi does or say. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan called it an “enthusiastic” speech. “PM talked about how Indian ethos can be a global role model in today's conflicting times,” he said,
Vice chairman and Managing Director of Bharti Enterprises, Rajan Mittal thought Modi spoke like a “true statesman”. “Not only to talk about India but to talk about globalisation and larger issues like climate change and terrorism, the Prime Minister has spoken like a true statesman. He spoke about reforms, and that as the world is going inwards, India is globalising and is ready for business,” he said.
It was however, Congress President Rahul Gandhi's was however, the loudest, as he tweeted questions to the PM himself. “Dear PM, Welcome to Switzerland! Please tell DAVOS why 1% of India’s population gets 73% of its wealth? I’m attaching a report for your ready reference,” Gandhi asked. The tweet came within minutes after Modi wrapped up his historic speech.
In his speech, Modi, who has an impressive knack of blocking criticism, said, “In 2014 after 30 years, Indian voters provided a complete majority to any political party to form govt at the centre. We took the resolution for the development of everyone and not just a specific group. Our motto is 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas'.” He added, “Change in India’s ranking is an indicator that the people in India have warmly welcomed the change in policies as the road to a better future for them.”
