Jair Messias Bolsonaro, the Brazilian President is on a 4-day visit to India with an aim of enhancing the bilateral trade as well as strengthening the ties between the two nations that have already been on an upswing in the recent times. Bolsonaro will also be the chief guest at India’s 71st Republic Day celebrations parade on 26th January. He is being accompanied by several ministers, top business officials as well as a large business delegation. Bolsonaro will be the third Brazilian President to grace India’s Republic Day celebrations parade. Previously, Brazilian Presidents have been the Chief Guests for India’s Republic Day celebrations in 1996 and 2004.
Jair Bolsonaro has been Brazil’s President for over a year and has been constantly in the news for his far-right politics as well as for several of his controversies. But prior to entering politics, he served in the Brazilian Army for seventeen years. He joined politics in 1988 when he got elected as the City Councilor in Rio de Janeiro for the Christian Democratic Party (CPD). He got elected as a federal deputy for the CPD in the 1990 elections. He was a part of the lower house of National Congress of Brazil for seven consecutive terms. He was the presidential candidate of the Social Liberal Party for the 2018 elections. Bolsonaro was sworn in as the President of Brazil on 1st January, 2019.
In just an year of governance, Bolsonaro has been deemed as a controversial figure for his extremely sexist, racist and inappropriate remarks. As a result, he has already received a lot of flak in his brief stint as the President. There have also been severe allegations against him regarding corruption, smuggling of drugs and unlawful sacking of associates. He has been constantly criticized for his policies that prioritize development over environment. It is also true that since Bolsonaro has been sworn in as the President, there has been a tremendous rise in the deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon.
Bolsonaro’s visit can be viewed as an opportunity to enhance the already flourished bilateral relations between the two nations. The meeting is also important from the point of view of strengthening the defence and energy cooperation and taking the strategic partnership forward in a more focused manner. There would also be discussions on agriculture, animal husbandry and food processing. The volume of bilateral trade between the two emerging nations was USD 8.2 billion in 2018-19 and the two nations clearly, see more potential in enhancing this bilateral trade. Hence, the visit of Bolsonaro can be termed as an important step in strengthening the bilateral relations between India and Brazil.
Jair Bolsonaro’s Controversial Statements
On Women
On Human Rights
On Race and Nation
On Homosexuality
On Elections
On Immigration Issue
On Religion
