External Affairs Minister Subramaniam Jaishankar has hit out at Western Media over the negative coverage of Indian elections saying that countries that have to go to court for deciding election results are giving “Gyan” on conducting polls. He also claims that the Western countries feel that they have influenced the world for 200 years and so it is very difficult for them to give up their old habits easily.
Interacting with the audience after the launch of his book “Why Bharat Matters” in Bengali, the foreign minister said, “They (Western Nations) do want to influence us because many countries of this world for the last 70 to 80 years. Western countries feel that they have influenced this world for 200 years. How do you expect someone who has been in the position to give up these habits so easily.
The Western Media claimed that the Western Media want a certain class of people to rule the country and feel disturbed when the electorate system doesn’t feel the same way. Jaishankar was responding to a question of allegations made against India by Canada and the US for interference and conducting information and operations of foreign soil.
“Why are these newspapers so negative on India? Because they see that an India that is not in sense compliant with the image of how India should be They want people, ideology or a way of life, they want that class of people to rule this country, and they are disturbed when the Indian population sees otherwise,” Jaishankar said at the event. The minister also alleged that the Western media at time openly endorses candidates and political parties.
“The Western Media in some senses have openly endorsed candidates and political parties, they don’t hide their preferences. They are very smart, somebody is doing this domination game for three hundred years, they learn a lot and anubhvai log hain chaturlog hain.” (they are experienced and clever people). Describing it as a mind game, Jaishankar took a dig at the West pointing out the nations resorting to legal avenues to determine election outcomes are now lecturing India.
“Newspapers will damage your reputation; somebody will bring out an index and put you down in that. The countries which have to go to court to decide the result of their elections are now giving Gyan about how to conduct elections. This is the mind game that is happening in the world,” Jaishankar said. He also alluded to the ongoing dispute initiated by Donald Trump in his attempt to reverse the 2020 US Presidential Elections, where Joe Biden defeated him.
Responding to a question on the US warning of potential sanctions after India signed the ten-year agreement for the running Chabahar Port in Iran, Jaishankar said the project will benefit the entire region and people should not take narrow view of it. He also pointed out that the US itself had appreciated the larger relevance of Chabahar in the past.
“I did see remarks which were made, but I think its question of communicating, convincing and getting people to understand that it is actually for everyone’s benefit I don’t think people should take a narrow view of it,” and Indian media quoted Jaishankar as saying.
“They (US) have not done so in the past. So, if you look at the US’ own attitude towards the port in Chabahar, the US has been appreciative of the fact that Chabahar has a larger relevance and we will work at it,” he added. Earlier on Tuesday, the US warned that “anyone” considering business deals with Tehran needs to be aware of the “potential risk of sanctions”.
