India's growth at risk if Narendra Modi is not re-elected: John Chambers

John Chambers, Executive Chairman of Cisco, speaks during the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., May 1, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake - RC15D2A77540

India's "impressive development and inclusive growth" stand at risk if Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not get a chance to lead the country after the next year's parliamentary elections, a top US industrialist has said.

John Chambers, a former executive chairman and CEO of CISCO Systems told a group of Indian reporters that India has a chance to be the strongest growth-inclusive country in the world.

"To do that takes at least a decade to put in place. I think your prime minister Modi has to capability of doing it. I think he has the country headed in the right way," he said.

"I think it would be a major risk not to give him a chance to finish that vision," Chambers said yesterday on the sidelines of the inaugural Annual Leadership Summit of the US India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF) here of which he is the chairman.

He was responding to a question what if Modi is not re-elected in the 2019 elections. "He (Modi) is courageous. He wakes up every day thinking about your country's future," he said.

Responding to a question on India US relationship, there is huge potential in this bilateral relationship. "The impact of this is going to be so large for both nations that you will not find small bumps on the way to distract us," he said.