The sweeping electoral victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India's general election, led by Narendra Modi, will facilitate reforms that the state leader has long wanted, said Indian professor Srikanth Kondapalli on June 14 in Beijing.
Kondapalli, professor of Chinese Studies at the School of International Relations, Jawaharlal Nehru University, made his remarks at a seminar hosted by PanGoal Institution, a China-based public policy think tank.
According to Kondapalli, the reforms India faces are concerned with four major issues — goods and services tax, land expropriation rules, labor laws and environmental protection.
"In India, once you work you cannot be fired, and workers in India are kings and queens," the professor said while explaining why those reforms are indispensable to India's future.
He also added that with BJP's dominant position in parliament, the legislation can be passed more easily.
According to Kondapalli, economic development remains on top of Modi's government agenda as the prime minister promised to increase India's GDP from less than $3 trillion to $5 trillion during the next six years. To fulfill the commitment, the government will have to raise its investment in infrastructure to $1.5 trillion by 2024.
In view of diplomatic relations, Kondapalli described a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Modi in the Chinese city of Wuhan last year, as a milestone for both of the countries to address issues, such as, anti-terrorism cooperation, a border dispute settlement and economic collaboration.
Founded in 2013, the PanGoal is a member of the BRICS Think Tank and of the Silk Road Think Tank Association.
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