Overhaul Policies in India to Attain Vishwaguru Status by 2040: Subramanian Swamy at ThinkEdu Conclave 2025

Swamy emphasised the need for societal unity, overcoming divisions like language and caste, to achieve the Vishwaguru status
Subramanian Swamy, Economist and Thinker with chair and Editorial Director, TNIE, Prabhu Chawla
Subramanian Swamy, Economist and Thinker with chair and Editorial Director, TNIE, Prabhu Chawla
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At the 13th edition of the ThinkEdu Conclave 2025, economist and thinker Subramanian Swamy called for India to course-correct its economic, foreign, and military policies to achieve Vishwaguru status within the next 15 years.

Interacting with The New Indian Express Editorial Director, Prabhu Chawla, on the topic ‘Vishwaguru or Vishwabandu: The Right Way for India’ on 27 January, Swamy explained the distinction between the two terms. “While Vishwaguru refers to a nation that is sufficiently educated and capable of sharing its knowledge with other countries, Vishwabandu refers to an individual who is a friend to people across different nations,” he said.

Swamy highlighted that India has already achieved Vishwaguru status in certain fields, such as yoga and contributions to modern engineering, where Indians play a significant role. However, he noted that the country remains economically unbalanced in many aspects and continues to rely on imports in several areas.

He stressed that India cannot be a Vishwaguru without military strength, accusing the government of losing undisputed Indian territory of 4,064 sq.km. to China and signing an agreement in this regard. Swamy also criticised the Modi government’s foreign policy, mentioning instances where India’s leadership faced humiliation, such as not being invited to Donald Trump’s swearing-in ceremony.

Swamy emphasised the need for societal unity, overcoming divisions like language and caste, to achieve the Vishwaguru status. While India has the potential, with its third-largest GDP and global achievements by Indians, he stated that the country is not yet a but could attain this status by 2040.

Reflecting on India’s economic trajectory, Swamy praised the reforms initiated during Prime Minister Narasimha Rao’s tenure, which propelled GDP growth to 7-8%. In contrast, he criticised the current administration for its efforts to achieve the Vishwaguru status, noting, “In Modi's government, the rate of growth has started declining in the last two years. It is growing between 4-4.5 per cent, which is very low.”

Swamy reiterated his position as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member, asserting that criticism is a hallmark of democracy. When asked about the BJP government under Modi fulfilling promises such as the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and scrapping of Article 370 in Kashmir, he said that the Modi government filed a petition to give back the land that was taken over to construct Ram Mandir and he fought against it. “As far as article 370 is concerned, we had to drag him to make the decision,” he said.

When asked about the public appeal of Modi, he dismissed the notion of indispensability in politics, stating, “India is full of talent”. Critiquing the Congress Party, he accused it of functioning as a “family cartel” under Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi, while alleging that the Modi government shielded Rahul Gandhi in a case challenging his citizenship. 

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