India 75 years post independence

Commemorations marking the 75th anniversary of India’s independence are a reminder that since August 1947, when it shed the yoke of the British Raj, the nation has survived five wars, frequent natural disasters and political assassinations to emerge as a dynamic, entrepreneurial democracy of 1.4 billion people. It is a crucial ally alongside the US, Australia and Japan in defending the cause of freedom and rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region.

At a time of unrelenting Chinese aggression and lawless disregard for the sovereignty of other nations, India’s role as a member of the Quadrilateral Strategic Dialogue and counterweight to Beijing’s ambitions is vital. So is its advancing economic clout. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day address on Monday, spoke of turning India “into a developed country in the next 25 years – in our lifetime. This can-do generation can achieve every goal imaginable.”

For India and its strategic partners, including Australia, much is riding on the country achieving Mr Modi’s declared goal. For too long India was held back by Raj-era red tape and protectionism. In the early 1990s, India and China were roughly level-pegging in average income and gross domestic product. China pulled ahead, grew faster and now is five times bigger and richer.

For Australia, which has had diplomatic relations with India since before independence, the prospects of building closer ties are promising. India’s high commissioner in Canberra, Manpreet Vohra, has identified “massive potential” in Australia’s critical mineral resources to help India make the shift to electric vehicles and large-scale battery storage. Mr Vohra says negotiations between Canberra and New Delhi for a long-anticipated new free-trade deal – built on an interim agreement struck earlier this year – will get under way shortly. With bilateral trade running at $18bn a year the Albanese government must ensure it happens. Surging Indian student numbers and a migrant community of about 165,000 will see Indians become more influential in our multicultural nation.

India’s longstanding alliances built on its role as a founding member of the Soviet-linked Non-Aligned Movement have sometimes made it appear a questionable ally. So have its military ties to Moscow that have raised questions about its refusal to condemn Vladimir Putin’s assault on Ukraine. Its eagerness to buy large amounts of Russian oil at discounted prices has undermined Western sanctions. That does not detract, however, from its importance as a democracy that is vital to countering communist Chinese ambitions.