There’s something deeply revealing about the Indian Opposition’s reaction to Prime Minister Narendra Modi receiving yet another international honour — this time, the highest civilian award from Cyprus. Instead of celebrating the growing stature of India on the global stage, the usual suspects from the Congress and its allies, besides the Left have once again chosen to mock, belittle, and sulk.
Cyprus’s “Grand Collar of the Order of Makarios III” is not just a symbolic gesture. It is the highest honour the small but significant Mediterranean nation confers — and it chose to bestow it on Modi, recognising his contributions to global leadership and diplomacy. This marks the 23rd such highest civilian honour conferred on him by countries across the world — from Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Russia to the US Legion of Merit, France’s Legion of Honour, and now Cyprus.
Let’s pause and ask: How many Indian Prime Ministers before him have achieved this level of international respect?
The much-glorified Jawaharlal Nehru, often projected as a man of towering global intellect, was honoured by just two countries — Yugoslavia and Bhutan. His daughter Indira Gandhi, despite her political ruthlessness and Cold War alignments, managed recognition from three nations. Yet, Modi — whom the Opposition calls provincial and parochial — has been honoured by over a dozen diverse and geopolitically significant nations across continents.
This is not just about awards. These are diplomatic signals of trust, strategic partnership, and acknowledgment of India’s rising power. Modi’s diplomatic strategy, which many mocked as excessive foreign travel and “event management,” is bearing fruit. His aggressive pursuit of bilateral relationships, whether with Muslim nations in the Gulf or Christian-majority countries in Europe and Latin America, has expanded India’s sphere of influence dramatically.
The Opposition’s bitterness is not rooted in principle. It is born of frustration. Each time India earns global respect under Modi, the political narrative shifts decisively away from their stale accusations of “authoritarianism” and “intolerance.” They cannot stomach the fact that Modi — the man they dismissed as “unfit for global diplomacy” — is today among the most decorated heads of government in the world.
Their hypocrisy is glaring. The same Congress that celebrated Nehru’s champagne diplomacy now ridicules Modi for forging powerful friendships in an increasingly divided world. The same Left that once called China a brotherly nation is now uncomfortable with Modi’s assertive engagement with Beijing, where he has managed to keep channels open without compromising India’s territorial integrity or military readiness.
For decades, India’s foreign policy was anchored in moral posturing and strategic indecision, guided by the outdated Panchsheel fantasy and Nehruvian non-alignment that yielded little benefit to India. Modi, in contrast, has driven a bold, multi-alignment strategy that balances ties with the US, Russia, EU, Israel, and Gulf nations — all while carving out a distinct Indian voice on global issues from climate change to digital governance.
Even India’s adversaries now treat it with caution and respect. China, which humiliated India in 1962 and outplayed it in 2005-2012, now faces a far more determined and strategically aware New Delhi. Whether it’s the Galwan response or infrastructural assertiveness along the LAC, Modi’s India is not the India of UPA’s apologetic diplomacy. It is an India that demands parity, not patronage.
This transformation burns the Opposition. Because it exposes what decades of their rule failed to achieve. In a short span of 10 years, Narendra Modi has repositioned India not as a beggar for foreign aid or sympathy, but as a confident power that commands recognition, earns respect, and defends its interests unapologetically.
Every international honour Modi receives is not just for him. It’s a tribute to a rising Bharat — economically potent, diplomatically agile, and strategically ambitious. The Opposition can sulk, spin, or smear — but the world has made its choice.
And the world is saying clearly: Modi represents the new India. Proud, powerful, and respected.
