In South Asia, a vaccine diplomacy has begun. Will India’s efficacy outdo China’s?

Back in 2005 — a long, long time ago — the US denied then-Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi a visa because of his alleged role in the 2002 riots, in which about a 1,000 people, according to official estimates, were killed. Much water has since flowed under the bridge, with Prime Minister Modi being very warmly hosted by both Barack Obama and Donald Trump, and hosting them in turn, in 2016 and 2019 – whatever Obama may say about the BJP’s “divisive nationalism,” in retrospect.

So there must have been something akin to very sweet retribution last week when PM Modi tweeted his distress over the mayhem and violence inside the US Capitol. It’s not him, Modi seemed to be saying, but America’s leaders that need watching out for.

Still, one minor fallout of the US crisis — besides the blow to its reputation as a declining power — is that the permanent removal of Donald Trump (with 88 million followers) from Twitter has made Modi (63 million followers), the most followed political leader in the world.

Certainly, the PM takes his role seriously. Speaking at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas annual event, which applauds the Indian community’s achievements abroad, Modi said India was “ready to save humanity” with its two Made-in-India vaccines.

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