Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, saying he has “managed to resist the hubris of power” despite being in office for more than a decade.
Speaking about the annual Raisina Dialogue held in New Delhi, Abbott said the forum has emerged as an important platform for discussions on global strategic and geopolitical challenges.
“There’s been a Raisina Dialogue in Delhi every March since 2016,” Abbott said, calling it the brainchild of India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
The forum brings together political leaders, senior military commanders, business executives, journalists and think tank heads to discuss global challenges, he said.
Abbott said the event compares favourably with other global gatherings. “It’s better than Davos because it’s not so dominated by politically correct plutocrats, and better than the Chinese Boao Forum because it is not essentially an exercise in homage to the host government,” he said.
Referring to Prime Minister Modi’s role at the dialogue, Abbott noted that the prime minister attends the opening session each year but does not speak.
“At every dialogue so far, Prime Minister Modi has set the example, attending the opening session to hear the principal guest … but not speaking himself,” he said.
Abbott said PM Modi remains one of the most powerful leaders globally but continues to listen to other voices.
“After the U.S. and Chinese presidents, he’s probably the most immediately powerful person in the world, yet he’s not too proud to listen as well as to lead,” Abbott said, adding that Modi had “thus far managed to resist the hubris of power”.
The Raisina Dialogue, held annually in New Delhi, brings together global leaders, policymakers and experts to discuss geopolitical and strategic challenges.
-IANS
