Lok Sabha Elections 2024: India requires mandate for clear, continuous leadership, says former diplomat Harsh Vardhan Shringla

We are now on the critical takeoff stage, and the next five years will be critical in shaping the next thousand years in the way India develops. So, everybody who has to exercise their mandate from now till the end of our election period has to be cognizant of that fact, Shringla said.

Washington: India requires a mandate for a clear and continuous leadership that can take decisions to make it a developed nation by 2047, former top Indian diplomat Harsh Vardhan Shringla said Wednesday.

Shringla said even in the US he has got an impression that the administration would like to see a clear mandate in India that would make it a strong economic power.

“What we need is a mandate for a clear and continuous leadership that can take the decision that will take Bharat to a Viksit Bharat stage by 2047,” Shringla told PTI.

The former foreign secretary and the Indian Ambassador to the US is currently on a private visit.

“The youth, which is the majority of the country, expect that and they will provide a mandate to the leadership that will bring them the best opportunities and take us to a situation we have never even dreamt of being a developed country in every sense of the world whether it is women empowerment, economic, socioeconomic or environmental developments,” he said.

“I think we are a country on the move and the mandate that we give our leadership and our prime minister would be very, very critical in this regard,” said the former foreign secretary.

During his current visit, Shringla who was also the chief coordinator for India’s G20 presidency in 2023, has had meetings with a number of individuals not just in the realm of politics, both Democrats and Republicans, but also at the level of officials, businesses, academics and community.

“So, I've got a reasonable perspective in the short time that I've been here and I think there is a lot of optimism in the relationship,” he said in response to a question.

“In the US itself, I got an impression even from people in the administration that they would certainly like to see a clear mandate that would make not only India a stronger economic power, but one that can contribute to the global,” he said.

If we are one sixth of humanity and we are doing well, then everybody else will also do well. It'll contribute to an upsurge in the global economy. So, everybody is conscious of that, the former diplomat said.

“The US has a very close partner country, I think believes that India's growth will also be to the advantage of the United States,” Shringla told PTI.

A clear mandate in which the people of India, especially the young people of India vote to make sure that there is a “decisive mandate” given to our leadership to take the country forward in the path that it has taken over the last 10 years, he said.

We are now on the critical takeoff stage, and the next five years will be critical in shaping the next thousand years in the way India develops. So, everybody who has to exercise their mandate from now till the end of our election period has to be cognizant of that fact, he said.

“I was aware of it when I went and cast my vote,” he said.

“I think everybody who has voted would've taken that into account and who was going to vote over the next two phases will also keep that in mind that you have to have a leadership, a government that is not only sensitive to the interests of the people, but also one that is capable of taking you to the goals, which a developed country and every individual's interest is protected,” Shringla said.

That is the sort of future that we all want to look for, he said, adding that the consequences of not having a clear mandate is “serious”.

“The consequence of not having that is also very serious because it'll take us not 20 years, it may take us 50 years back. After all, look at the economic development, infrastructure itself in the last 10 years has exceeded the last 60 years of whatever development has taken place in developing infrastructure in the country,” Shringla said.

“The poorest of the poor, how the state has provided for their benefits, whether it is through the free ration scheme, whether it is through free medical and health insurance, electricity, water in rural areas, sanitation programs, etc, the progress has been unimaginable,” he said.

If you want to continue that progress, you should make sure that you go out and use your power, the ability of your individual vote to make the difference, he said.