France leads Indian arms rush as Modi liberalises defence
30 Jun 2014
After the Narendra Modi-government announced a liberalisation of foreign investments in India's so-far carefully guarded defence sector, French foreign minister Laurent Fabius is expected to make a strong push for speeding up the multi-billion dollar Rafale fighter plane deal, stalled by India for lack of funds.
Apart from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and external affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, he will also meet defence and finance minister Arun Jaitley.
Fabius arrives ahead of US Senator John McCain and UK foreign secretary William Hague, who are also expected to land in Delhi this week.
Western governments are rushing to India after the dramatic liberalisation of India's defence programme, which could have long-term consequences – India is today the largest purchaser of defence equipment, thanks largely to its disgustingly wasteful 'indigenisation' programme that has left its armed forces with Soviet-era weaponry or worse.
Senior politicians from France, the United States and Britain arrive in quick succession over the next 10 days as Modi prepares to accelerate the modernisation of the forces' equipment.
Modi apparently intends to build up India's military capabilities and gradually turn the world's largest arms importer into a heavyweight manufacturer - a goal which seems far-fetched in the current scenario.
