External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar criticised the West for thinking they have a “God-given right” to comment on other countries’ internal matters. He also denounced the culture of political parties in India offering freebies, stating that it is unsustainable. Furthermore, he emphasised that India is firm and will not tolerate any disrespect towards its national flag.
West believes it has a ‘God-given right’ to comment on others
During a meet-and-greet interaction organised by Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya, a question was asked to Jaishankar regarding the reaction of other countries to Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification. In response, Jaishankar said he will give an honest answer, explaining why the West often comments on India. He stated that the West has a tendency to comment on other countries because they believe it is their right to do so. However, they will only realise the consequences of this behaviour once other countries start commenting on them, which they will not like.
Jaishankar mentioned the second part of the truth, which is that India sometimes invites comments from the world by highlighting its problems and urging other countries to take action. Therefore, it is not surprising when people from other countries start commenting on India. Jaishankar acknowledged that both the West and India need to work on this issue and should avoid giving invitations to the world to comment on India’s problems. Overall, Jaishankar believes that both sides need to make an effort to address this issue.
Recently, Rahul Gandhi, a member of the Indian National Congress, was disqualified from his Lok Sabha membership following a 2019 defamation case in which he made a comment using the surname ‘Modi’, leading to his conviction by a Gujarat court. The court sentenced him to two years in prison, though the sentence was later suspended for 30 days, during which he can appeal against the conviction. The case was filed against him by former BJP MLA Purnesh Modi. Rahul Gandhi was elected to the Lok Sabha in 2019 from the Wayanad constituency in Kerala.
Opposition parties have accused the BJP of using Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification as a tactic to distract from the Adani issue. This move is the latest in a series of conflicts between the Congress and BJP.
India won’t tolerate disrespect towards the national flag
S. Jaishankar, the External Affairs Minister of India, also emphasised that India would not tolerate its national flag being disrespected by anyone. He mentioned the incident that recently took place in London, where protesters pulled down the Indian national flag from the Indian High Commission building and tried to replace it with a separatist Khalistani flag. He explained how the High Commissioner immediately responded by replacing the flag with an even bigger one to send a message not only to the Khalistanis but also to the British.
Jaishankar also mentioned similar incidents in other countries and asserted that India is now a responsible and firm nation and will not allow anyone to disrespect its flag. The Indian government expressed its strong objection to the British government over the lack of sufficient security on the premises of its diplomatic mission.
Jaishankar slams freebies as irresponsible political tactics
Mr Jaishankar criticised the practice of offering freebies by political parties, stating that it cannot sustain the country in the long term. He added that some politicians in Delhi resort to freebies because they do not bear the responsibility of raising resources. Mr. Jaishankar stressed that freebies are not a responsible way of governing a country, as they take away resources from somewhere else. He also stated that such tactics are aimed at gaining quick popularity and are an irresponsible way of governing.
