New Delhi, Jan 1 (IANS) The year that was, truly tested the resilience of India on its “multi-alignment” strategy, proving that a nation can indeed be a “friend to all” while remaining beholden to none, according to Congress leader Shashi Tharoor.

“By choosing multi-alignment over binary allegiances, India has ensured that in a fractured world, it remains the most stable bridge across the fissures,” added the Lok Sabha member from Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram.

In a newspaper column published this New Year’s Day, Tharoor has reflected on India’s geopolitical and economic trajectory as the world entered 2026.

Placing India at the crossroads of global turbulence – marked by fractured supply chains, tariff wars, climate urgency, and digital fragmentation – he argued that India’s “multi-alignment” strategy has allowed it to remain a bridge across fissures.

Earlier, Tharoor has occasionally praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government’s policies, sparking protests from the Congress. His remarks – ranging from applauding the PM’s speeches to defending foreign policy decisions – have often led Congress leaders to distance themselves, stressing that Tharoor’s views are personal and not the party’s official stance.

In Thursday’s column, he described 2025 as a year of “maximal interdependence and minimal trust”, where partnerships have become transactional, economic ties weaponised, and strategic assumptions destabilised.

“New Delhi has deepened ties with the Global South while balancing relations with Washington, Moscow, and Beijing,” he observed, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s New Delhi visit in face of intense Western scrutiny was “a bold assertion of sovereign autonomy”.

The move served as “a reminder that India refuses to be a ‘spoke’ in anyone else’s wheel.”

Simultaneously, the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit in August and the launch of the Africa-India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME) naval exercise signalled India’s intent to lead as a ‘Vishwa Bandhu’,” asserted Tharoor, who is also the Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs.

He noted that the collapse of markets following China’s restriction of rare earth exports and US President Donald Trump’s imposition of 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods exemplify this new reality.

Yet, despite India’s vulnerability, especially in its green transition and labour-intensive industries, Tharoor stated that the country has responded with confidence – diversifying trade partners, accelerating the National Critical Mineral Mission, and deepening ties with the Mineral Security Partnership.

Against external shocks, he observed, India’s domestic fundamentals remained buoyant. The rupee weakened under tariff pressure, but fiscal stability was maintained, he wrote, and further emphasised that the enactment of four labour codes and the SHANTI Act for nuclear energy investment demonstrated a proactive approach to reform.

Tharoor interpreted these moves as evidence of India building a “fortress-like” economy capable of withstanding global volatility.

Here again, his analysis aligns with earlier praise for the Modi government, which he once described as having successfully implemented structural reforms that positioned India as a rising economic power.

As India surpassed Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest economy, Tharoor called it a testament to a “golden period” of structural reform. The Congress MP has also mentioned India positioning itself as the voice of the Global South at COP30 in Brazil, and championing equitable climate action, demanding that developed nations move beyond targets towards the actual delivery of predictable support.

Additionally, he lauded India pioneering a unique “tech-diplomacy” footprint in an area where “global giants dominate the World Wide Web and the Internet splinters into sovereign fragments”.

With technology a defining force of 2025, as AI accelerated its impact on labour markets and energy systems, “India’s push into AI innovation hubs and digital public infrastructure offers a pathway to global leadership,” he added.

Agreeing that the task ahead is not simple, he said, “India has shown that the path forward is not to retreat from the world, but to engage with a clear vision that prioritises national interest without abandoning global responsibility”.

–IANS

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