S Jaishankar takes hit at 'Western media' for questioning 'Indian democracy'

Addressing a forum for nationalist thinkers in Hyderabad on Tuesday, EAM Jaishankar said, "I get a lot of these noises from the Western press and if they criticize our democracy, it's not because they lack information. It is because they think they are also political players in our election."

Further, Jaishankar said that in an article by the Western media, they stated that in such a heatwave in India, why are they holding elections?

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"Now I read that article and I wanted to say listen, in that heat my lowest turnout is higher than your highest turnout in the best run," Jaishankar said.

Jaishankar stressed that "They (West) actually think they are part of our electorate", adding, "I think it's time today that we disabuse them, and the best way that we do that, is by confidence."

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The EAM said that the Western media also slams the Bharatiya Janata Party by calling it "unfair", and added, "In a kind of way, today, we are at a very important inflection point.".

"They will question your election system, your EVM, your election commission, even the weather," Jaishankar said.

Recalling the G20 Summit, Jaishankar said that during the presidency, several countries wanted to connect to India.

"During our G20 presidency, a number of countries, but particularly this was an initiative called IMEC through Saudi Arabia, they wanted to connect India to Europe. Russia and Iran also want a connectivity passage to Europe. In the east, countries like Vietnam, and Cambodia, want a passage through Myanmar to India," he said.

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Lauding India's prominence on the global stage, Jaishankar said that there is a lot of interest in somehow accessing India, connecting to India, and working with India.

"When we got our G20 chair presidency, it was on December 1, 2022. I think most of the world said, you know, I don't know where you guys got stuck. You know how this is going to happen. You are going to have a really difficult time managing this. And yet, actually, when the G20 summit met, within the first day, we were actually able to forge a consensus," the minister said.

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Published: 24 Apr 2024, 07:05 AM IST