Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed lawmakers in the United States of America. Here is the speech I wish he had delivered.

Madam Vice-President

Mr Speaker

Majority and Minority Leaders of both Houses of Congress

Members of the Senate and of the House of Representatives

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As a representative of the world’s largest democracy and an emissary of its goodwill to the world’s oldest democracy, I am honoured and delighted to be speaking once again before you. For democratic republics such as India and the United States, chambers and buildings such as this one — the Houses of Congress on Capitol Hill here in Washington, DC, and Parliament House in New Delhi — are embodiments of popular sovereignty, repositories of the people’s trust and monuments blessed with the sacredness of a church, a temple, or indeed a mosque.

To serve here, to speak here, to just be here is as much a political act as a spiritual one.

I stand before representatives of the American people from all states and regions of your country, representing both your major parties. You have welcomed me not in my personal capacity but as the prime minister of a friendly country and a trusted partner. This sense of bipartisanship offers a telling lesson on how great achievements in a nation’s history are achievable only if invested in by all political stakeholders — across party lines. This is what defines the enlightened national interest.

Why am I making this point? It is to emphasise that the strength of the India-US relationship today, and the outcomes and agreements that we have achieved on this visit, are a function of continuity. We have built on the work of our predecessors. In the heat and dust of politics and campaigning, it becomes difficult to appreciate or even admit this. My government has taken forward the diplomatic agenda of my predecessor’s government. He, in turn, picked up the thread from his predecessor. There is a thread of continuity in the service of India, from our first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, to the first prime minister from my party, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, to my predecessor Dr Manmohan Singh to my term in office.

I last spoke here in 2016. I was two years old as Prime Minister. Today, I have spent almost a decade in office. The past nine years have shown our world a pandemic, multiple economic crises and the devastating impact of a war that is still being waged. In all this, pre-existing and long-term global issues of concern — from climate change to poverty alleviation — remain, often deprived of the attention and resources that they deserve.

In India, we have responded to these challenges with the courage and determination of our people — 1.4 billion of them, 65 per cent of whom are under the age of 35. Even though unemployment remains a big challenge, the energy and grit of our young people have lifted our society. We have responded in two ways.

First, during the pandemic and the subsequent (admittedly hasty) lockdown, which was devastating for migrant workers and the middle class, we deployed tools — whether the biometric-derived Aadhaar system or the national rural employment guarantee programme — initially conceptualised by the previous government to deliver welfare benefits to our people.

Frankly, I was not always a believer in the employment guarantee programme, but now recognise it has a role. In the spirit of bipartisanship, I see here, I commit to addressing concerns about financial dues related to the guarantee programme that have come from states run by Opposition party governments. Democracy is about rising above partisanship.

Second, to give a fillip to the economy, we have undertaken reforms and opened up many business sectors to greater global investment as well as spending on infrastructure. Started in 1991, this has made India an attractive economy for global investors. That continuity is what defines democracy. Representative government is not a sprint; it is a never-ending relay, and at various junctures, we pass the baton from one to another.

The last decade has also taught me to have the humility to learn from mistakes. We passed the farm laws in 2020, but after legitimate protests from farmers across the country, we repealed them. Then there was demonetisation announced in 2016. We soon realised that this economic misadventurism failed to meet any of its stated objectives. Indeed, what India’s first prime minister said rings true, “Let us be a little humble; let us think that the truth may not perhaps be entirely with us”.

Friends, the bipartisanship and unity across party lines that I see before me are heart-warming and yet bittersweet. A little over three weeks ago, the new Parliament building was inaugurated in New Delhi. Many of the Opposition parties and their MPs stayed away. At such a historic moment, at the opening of a Parliament building that will serve our country for the next 100 years, well after our generation is gone, this should not have happened. I am not here to point fingers. All of us must share the blame; it is a shared failure. A moment for me to introspect.

In truth, democracy is not about partisanship but about partnership. Democracies need partnerships within their societies and their polities. That is why democracies instinctively reach out to each other. That is why our two great nations have forged an unusually strong bond. This is the gift of democracy — a gift that empowers us but also humbles us — each of us, all of us, Indian and American, you and me.

May those cherished values of democracy continue to keep us inspired and keep us grounded. May our countries prosper together.

Thank you.

[This article appeared in The Indian Express | Friday, June 23, 2023]