From Mamata to China, PM Modi shows how to reach out to the enemy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a knack of reaching out to his foes before so that he doesn't lose anything in the end. The leader showed his proactive skills twice in the last one week which suggests that Modi is not just a man who polarises, as was projected by our media even a year ago.

On May 9, Modi shared the dais with Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who was perhaps the last chief minister of the country to meet Modi after he took office in May last year, at Burnpur in West Bengal.

Modi's wisdom lied in his open strategy to all opponents

The opponents of Mamata Banerjee accused her of showing her true colours by joining hands with a 'communal' Modi but nobody saw the wisdom that lied in Modi's strategising of getting close to the TMC chief after the BJP's debacle in the Bengal civic polls.

Modi reached out to Mamata for he has compulsions that can't be addressed by aggression

The prime minister knows very well that to defeat Mamata Banerjee in her own den, the BJP has to engage itself in a competitive cooperation. It is cooperative for the BJP needs the TMC's support in the Rajya Sabha to pass bills while the latter needs a relief from the CBI probe before the next assembly election in the state and it's competitive for the BJP has to show something better than Banerjee if it has to gain any ground in the state.

After the Plan A of targetting the TMC chief on issues like Saradha and Khagragarh failed to produce any magic in the civic polls, Modi at once shifted the focus on Plan B so that both the BJP gained in the Parliament and in Bengal.

With China too, Modi engaged because it helps both sides

With China, too, PM Modi's intentions have been similar. China and India might be competitors in terms of economy or geostrategy, but these two countries have a big similarity and that is about the issue of natural security.

China is a traditional ally of Pakistan, which is India's biggest enemy in international politics, but that doesn't completely alienate Beijing's interests from those of New Delhi.

China has its interests allied with India despite traditional problems

Beijing, despite its closeness to Islamabad and its growing influence in Pakistan, knows very well that India's engagement with the Pakistani-backed terror outfits will help it in its own den.

China has also been disturbed by terror activities in its own territory and by banking on India, it can alert itself about potential terror threats. For India has developed its own counter-terror mechanism after years of efforts.

Modi can use this opportunity to ask China to stop its intrusion in the border areas as a quid pro quo.

Hence, Modi is not exactly a polarising leader as the Indian media had been projecting. He is not a man who will burn the bridges and let himself get stuck in a corner. He hence tries proactive measures to engage with the opponent so that he gains from the competition equally in the long run.