New Delhi, May 6 (PTI) Former Norwegian diplomat Erik Solheim on Wednesday praised the BJP’s massive victory in the West Bengal and Assam polls, saying that it was time “the West appreciates Indian democracy”.
He also criticised sections of Western media for portraying Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a threat to democracy and describing his policies as “Hindu extremism”.
In a series of posts on X, Solheim said that at a time when US and European democracies are threatened, India should be looked at for inspiration, not fear.
“Big victory for Prime Minister Modi in India’s state elections. It’s time the West appreciates the strength of Indian democracy!,” he said.
Solheim also highlighted the high voter turnout in polls, saying the BJP won a massive victory in state elections in West Bengal and Assam.
“The turn out was extraordinary high, more than 90 per cent, far above normal participation in European and American elections,” he said. “With a population of 106 million, West Bengal is much larger than any nation in the European Union, so this matters!” he added.
He said the assembly elections produced “surprising results” in West Bengal and Kerala and a “shocking one” in Tamil Nadu.
“The result should give western media a pause. They very often present prime minister Modi as a threat to democracy and his policies as some sort of Hindu extremism. The reality is exactly the opposite,” he said.
“Indian is not only the world’s largest democracy in size, it is also one of the most solid in content because its not a western transplant but rooted in Indian traditions and history,” he added.
Further praising the BJP’s performance, Solheim said, “When BJP performed below expectations in the 2024 parliament elections, many western media wrote as if it was the beginning of the end for Modi ji. Since then, the BJP has won state elections in Odisha, Haryana, Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar, and now Assam and West Bengal. What a revenge!.” He also congratulated actor-turned politician Vijay, describing him as “the man who upended Tamil politics!” “As long as anyone can remember, Tamil Nadu has been dominated by the DMK and AIADMK, the parties formed by the two giants of Dravidian politics, Karunanidhi and MGR,” Solheim said.
The former Norwegian politician said this week, the voters of Tamil Nadu delivered a “shock result” and with a wide margin they elected Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar, a 51-year-old Tamil cinema superstar known to fans as Vijay, or simply as “Thalapathy” (commander).
“This is the most seismic electoral debut in Tamil Nadu’s modern history. His party, TVK, got 108 seats, close to a simple majority. Let’s wish Vijay complete success in taking Tamil Nadu to the next level. Tamil Nadu is already one of India’s most successful states, with high living standards and vibrant business. The aim is a 1 trillion USD economy,” he said.
Solheim said that as a member of the Governing Council of the Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission, he would be honoured to support the conservation efforts of the state’s environment. “I will be happy to continue to give support in the future,” he said. PTI ACB KSI KSI
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