Barack Obama, on his first visit to India ever since he retired from US Presidency, was speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in the national capital today.
The former US President hailed the special relationship between India and the United States and also weighed in on the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while at the same time subtly taking potshots at successor Donald Trump’s style of leadership
From his daal-making skills to how hard he campaigned for India to be a part of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, Obama won hearts which his speech that also covered politicians on Twitter, threats to democracy in the era of the Internet and why we need to address the issue of the rich-poor gap.
Obama, who is known for being a great orator, delivered a gentle yet powerful speech and also skillfully skirted some tricky questions on President Trump in true Obama style.
Here are some of the key highlights from Barack Obama’s speech:
# On Democracy: Democracy is under threat today. I believe that a partnership between the world's oldest democracy and largest democracy is the key.
# The Internet can make or break things: Commenting on the instantaneous nature of the Internet, the former US President said “The Internet has the ability to propagate and propaganda that is destructive to democracies… The distinction between us and them is dangerous.”
# India and US Constitution: In another cheer for India-US relations, Obama said: “Our two Constitutions begin with the same three words- We the people. Our democracies share the same values. We have the common values of pluralism. We have to promote these values every day and pass them on to future generations.”
# Better wages: On Financial equity, Barack Obama said: “People in the middle class are neglected. Top 1% amass the greater share of the wealth leaving others to believe the game is fixed. We have provided better wages to our labourers. Ensure better tax codes. We need to close the gap between rich and poor nations.”
# Mocks Trump's Paris Climate Deal move: Taking a dig at Donald Trump who this year pulled out of the landmark Paris Climate deal, Obama said: “PM Modi and I pushed hard for the Paris climate accord. Though there has been a pause in the American leadership.”
# Fake News: On the recent crisis of fake news that Silicon Valley giants are fighting, the former US President cautioned against it, saying: “Only consume information which is factual. We need to find ways to shape the new information age.”
# India and the US can solve anything: Obama’s final statement in his speech stuck the landing: “If India and the United States are working together, I believe there is no problem we cannot solve.”
# The Daal making President: Obama quite proudly asserted: “I am the first US President to have a daal recipe”. When asked by veteran journalist Karan Thapar whether he could make chapatis, pat came the reply: “No, my chapatis are no good.”
# Be the leader, not the mirror: Talking about politicians who go ahead with a divisive agenda, he said: “Politicians are more of a mirror, reflecting citizens. If there are enough communities telling them divisiveness is not what we want, they will reflect them…. If you see a politician doing things that are questionable, then as a citizen you need to question if you are encouraging it.” Rahul Gandhi was listening with rapt attention.
# On Narendra Modi-Manmohan Singh debate:“I know PM Narendra Modi believes in the unity of India. My goal here is not to disclose every private conversation I have…I think he firmly believes in the unity necessary for the progress of the nation,” said Barack Obama. He also added that Modi has a "vision for India" while praising former PM Manmohan Singh as he "laid the foundation of the modern Indian economy."
After the Summit, Barack Obama is set for a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi today at 7 pm.
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