Twenty journalists from Japan flew down for the Vibrant Gujarat Summit and theirs was a very visible presence, even in a crowd measured in thousands. They were there largely because Toshihiro Suzuki, president of Suzuki Motor Corporation was a lead speaker, as was Japan’s minister for external affairs, Shin Osaka. Interestingly, they were even more aggressive than the local journalists, pushing their way to get the best photographs of Modi with their leaders.
If there was anything truly special about Vibrant Gujarat 2024, it would be the participation of so many delegates not just from Japan, but from Korea, Africa, Europe and the Arab World and Europe. The country-wise seat allocation in the convention hall was testimony to the fact that PM Modi has turned the summit into a truly international event.
Which is why it was a bit shocking when a section of the audience at the back began chanting “Jai Shri Ram,” just as Modi was about to start his speech. It was as if they were reminding him of what he really stood for, international leadership efforts notwithstanding. The whole thing was so at odds with the Vibrant Gujarat development focus that it was truly jarring.
To his credit, Modi chose to ignore rather than acknowledge his bhakts. Instead, he began his speech by explaining why the presence of UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as chief guest at the summit was so important to him. He then proceeded to name other global guests, such as Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, President of Mozambique; Peter Fiala, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic and Jose Ramor-Horts, President of Timor Leste and explain how they had befriended India in the international arena. It was only towards the end that the Prime Minister shifted track to domestic matters.
Not surprisingly, most of the speakers at the inaugural session were foreign dignitaries. Among the corporates invited on stage were the chiefs of global companies like Micron, Simmtech and Nvedia. One of the first slots was reserved for the chairman of Arcelor Steel, Lakshmi Mittal, who is based in London. Only three Indian CEOs were invited to speak: Mukesh Ambani of Reliance, N Chandrashekharan of Tata Sons, and Nikhil Kamat, CFO of Zerodha in Bangalore, who represented new age entrepreneurship. The only Gujarat-based industrialist invited on stage was Gautam Adani, though many others were present at the event.
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