S Jaishankar published his book The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World (file)
New Delhi:
Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar on Saturday chided foreign newspapers for reserving adjectives such as “Hindu nationalist” for the Indian government.
“When you read foreign newspapers, they use words like Hindu nationalist government. In America or Europe, they don’t say Christian nationalist… those adjectives are reserved for us. They don’t understand that this country is willing to do more with the world and not less with the world,” Jaishankar said.
Jaishankar was in Pune for the publication of his English book The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World, translated into Marathi as Bharat Marg.
The Marathi version of Jaishankar’s book was published by Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis.
Jaishankar said he was proud of it and didn’t think there was anything to apologize for.
“If you look at the last 9 years there is no doubt that the government and politics of the day were more nationalistic… I don’t think there is anything to apologize for. The same nationalist people have helped countries abroad and advanced in disaster situations in other countries,” he said.
In particular, there is a dispute over the controversial BBC documentary about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, The Modi Question.
India on Thursday denounced the controversial BBC documentary series on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling it a “propaganda piece” designed to advance a discredited narrative.
At a weekly media briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said this documentary, based on some internal British reports, shows the colonial mindset.
“We think this is a propaganda piece aimed at promoting a specific discredited narrative. The bias and lack of objectivity and the frankly persisting colonial mindset are belatedly visible,” Bagchi said in response to the question about the PM documentary series.
Britain’s national broadcaster BBC aired a two-part series on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tenure as Gujarat Prime Minister. The documentary sparked outrage and was removed from select platforms.
“So next time you read a foreign newspaper, because they always, foreign newspapers, they like to use words like Hindu nationalist comments, okay?” said Jaishankar.
“So next time you read it, ask yourself how wrong you are reading me, that they actually don’t understand that this country is preparing to do more with the world, not less with the world,” he advised .
The EAM said everyone in the country was linked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during India’s G20 presidency.
“We want to show the world that this G20 will have 200 meetings. Through these 200 gatherings we want to show the world, please, world, come to see India. See the changes in India, see how much enthusiasm and positivity there is for the world in India,” Jaishankar said.
He also attacked Congress Chairman Rahul Gandhi while referring to China.
“Why doesn’t the opposition talk about territories occupied by China in 1962… They never talk about it?” adding: “I will not go to the Chinese ambassador for inputs, I will go to my military leadership.”
(Except for the headline, this story was not edited by NDTV staff and was published by a syndicated feed.)
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