Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday, 19 June 2026, credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with reshaping India's global standing over the past 12 years, citing diplomatic honours, record foreign investment, and humanitarian outreach as evidence of a transformed foreign policy doctrine.

Context

Posting under the hashtag #12YearsOfIndiaFirst, CM Gupta described the Modi government's tenure as one defined by the principle of 'nation first' in every decision. She wrote that India is now being established as a 'credible global partner' — 'विश्वसनीय वैश्विक साझेदार' — on the world stage. The post marks the 12th anniversary of Narendra Modi assuming office as Prime Minister in May 2014.

Gupta pointed to 33 global honours received by the Prime Minister from various countries and the landmark consensus achieved on the G20 New Delhi Leaders' Declaration in September 2023 as proof of India's growing international credibility. The New Delhi Declaration was notable for achieving agreement on contentious geopolitical language at a time of deep divisions among major powers.

Policy Backdrop

On the economic front, Gupta's post claimed that 9 Free Trade Agreements covering 38 countries have been signed, and that India has attracted more than ₹70 lakh crore in foreign direct investment during this period. Among the significant agreements are Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements signed with the UAE and Australia in 2022, which expanded India's trade network considerably.

The post also highlighted 20 citizen evacuation missions — including well-documented operations such as Operation Rahat in Yemen in 2015 and Operation Ganga during the Ukraine conflict in 2022 — as demonstrations of the government's commitment to protecting Indians abroad. Gupta described these as reflecting an 'unbreakable dedication' to the safety of every citizen.

India's Make in India initiative, launched in 2014, underpins the broader economic strategy of boosting domestic manufacturing and attracting global capital, forming the industrial backbone of the FDI narrative Gupta invokes.

Stakeholders and Impact

Gupta invoked the Sanskrit principle of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' ('the world is one family') to frame India's humanitarian role, noting that the country supplied vaccines and food grains to more than 100 countries during difficult global periods. This is a reference to the Vaccine Maitri programme, launched in January 2021, under which India exported domestically produced COVID-19 vaccines to scores of nations during the pandemic.

The post further highlighted India's digital governance model — built on platforms such as UPI and Aadhaar-linked systems — as a global template that other nations are watching closely. Foreign investors, the Indian diaspora, and developing nations seeking affordable digital infrastructure are the primary stakeholders in this soft-power projection.

What's Next

India's ongoing bilateral trade negotiations and the potential addition of new Free Trade Agreements remain key markers of whether the economic diplomacy gains Gupta describes can be consolidated. The international uptake of Indian digital public infrastructure models — particularly UPI — across Southeast Asia, Africa, and beyond will be a concrete test of the 'global model' claim. As the BJP approaches future electoral cycles, the 12-year foreign policy record is likely to remain a central plank of the party's governance narrative, with senior leaders like CM Gupta amplifying it across states.