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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sambit Patra on Sunday highlighted the outcomes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visits to Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand, along with his earlier visit to Seychelles, describing them as "Das Kadam, Das Ka Dam."
Addressing a press conference in the national capital, Patra said the visits strengthened India's strategic, defence, economic and cultural partnerships with key Indo-Pacific nations. "The Prime Minister undertook a visit to three countries: Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand. Prior to that, he had also visited the Seychelles. In the interim, the head of state of Japan also visited India. What was the overall outcome? What did India gain? I will outline ten important outcomes in simple language 'Das Kadam, Das Ka Dam'," he said. Patra highlighted key areas of cooperation, including the Indian Ocean-Indo-Pacific strategic partnership, defence and maritime cooperation, collaboration on critical minerals, energy security, economic and investment opportunities, cultural ties, digital public infrastructure, education, sports and people-to-people exchanges. He said the geographical locations of Seychelles and Indonesia hold strategic significance as they represent the western and eastern ends of the Indian Ocean. "From the 1st to the 3rd of this month, the Prime Minister visited the Seychelles. Many asked, "What will be gained by visiting the Seychelles?" Then, when his tour began on the 6th, he visited Indonesia. There are some political figures in India who hold a one-dimensional view, a purely political one. We need to move forward with a 3D perspective; we must look from all directions to see where countries are located and what benefits are derived from visiting them... Seychelles is located on the western side of the Indian Ocean. Indonesia lies at the eastern end of the Indian Ocean. So, spanning from the western end to the eastern end of the Indian Ocean, this has been a strategic alliance. Seychelles in one corner and Indonesia in the other. The Prime Minister of India succeeded in mobilising both these corners to serve our national interests," he said. Explaining the broader Indo-Pacific outreach, Patra said, "The term 'Indo-Pacific' might not be immediately clear to everyone. First, note that the leader of Japan visited our country... Further down, you can see that after Indonesia, the Prime Minister visited Australia, following that same line across the Pacific and then New Zealand. So, observe the alignment: Japan, Australia, and New Zealand on one side, and Seychelles and Indonesia on the other." Patra said the alignment of countries such as Japan, Australia and New Zealand with India's outreach in the Indian Ocean region reflects the importance of strengthening partnerships across the wider Indo-Pacific. "Through these visits and the resulting exchange of ideas, a massive bridge has been built across both the Indo-Pacific and Indian Ocean regions--a bridge spanning strategic, economic, and ideological spheres, as well as fostering people-centric cultural exchanges," he added. (ANI)
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