On Tuesday (23rd April), External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar slammed Western media, emphasising that they criticise our democracy because they think they are also political players in our election and not because they lack information. Notably, he made these remarks while speaking at ‘Foreign Policy The India Way: From Diffidence To Confidence’ in Hyderabad, Telangana on Tuesday.
Addressing the forum, EAM Jaishankar said, “I get a lot of these noises from the Western press and if they criticise our democracy, it’s not because they lack information. It is because they think they are also political players in our election.”
We get advice from western press, if they criticise our democracy, it was not bcz of lack Information bcz they think they are also political players in our elections..games which are being played says EAM Jaishankar pic.twitter.com/Q5t4PoOUoL
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) April 24, 2024
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? “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. He added that these are games that are being played with us.
“These are politics. These are our domestic politics which is going global, global politics which feels they must now intrude in India. How can these chaps decide who should be ruling them without consulting us?” he said. Moreover, 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.”
EAM emphasised the need to stand up to these kinds of attacks and criticisms and rankings and reports because they will question everything. “They will question your election system, your EVM, your election commission, even the weather,” he said.
“And one complaint is…BJP is so unfair, BJP thinks it’s going to win very big,” he said, adding that, in a kind of way, today, we are at a very important inflection point. Jaishankar said that the decisions, the government will be making, are not just for the next five years, and will give our nation, our society, and our coming generations a very big vote of confidence.
“It is the guarantee, the guarantee is an expression of confidence. It is an expression of confidence based on what we have delivered for the last ten years,” he added. He highlighted how India has been regarded across the world in the last ten years, how the country is today preparing for the next 25 years is the mindset with which we need to approach the world.
Foreign Media’s ‘interference’ in Indian elections and falsehoods about concerns of ‘sliding democratic credentials’ of the country
Jaishankar’s critical remarks about foreign press coverage of Indian elections come at a time when a lot of Foreign Media publications while covering India’s ongoing elections displayed its usual Hinduphobic and anti-Modi tropes against the Modi government. The foreign media reports played on the palpable insinuation that somehow Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi’s victory is inevitable and the democracy and the minorities, essentially Muslims are in danger.
While 970 million Indians freely exercise their franchise in the General Elections over the next two months, this is the extent to which an array of elements across Global Media Outlets, Global Think-Tanks, Activists and NGOs have worked overtime to undermine the legitimacy and…
— Shashi Shekhar Vempati शशि शेखर (@shashidigital) April 20, 2024
The foreign media’s coverage of the Lok Sabha elections has been centred around Modi’s Hindu nationalism, so-called divisive politics, oppression of minorities, and suppression of political opposition and media voices. While PM Modi talks of making India a $5 trillion economy, semiconductors, Digital India, Atmanirbhar Bharat, a prominent player in global decision-making, the foreign media wants to project Modi as a ‘Hindu hardliner’.
The intent of overtly emphasising Hindu nationalism is to limit Narendra Modi’s stature as a ‘Hindu nationalist’ leader who retains power by stoking Hindu religious sentiments and polarisation, despite the fact that PM Modi has emerged as a global leader with an impact on international politics over the last decade. Whether it is the anti-Modi parties, the left-liberal ecosystem, a major segment of Western media, or the enemies of India in general, they want a weak government and a docile leader at the helm of power in India.
Apart from falsehoods about Modi’s anti-Muslim trope against the Modi government, Foreign media outlets have also made unsubstantiated allegations of wrongdoings in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), Indian legislations particularly CAA, and so-called extraterritorial killings at the behest of the Indian government among others. Additionally, in several cases, they have spread lies about certain schemes or policies to allege corruption like the Rafale deal ‘scam’ fiasco, or authoritarian functioning of the Modi government like conspiracy theories on Pegasus, the crackdown on journalists, and dissenting voices. However, all these lies have fallen flat in the court of law and before the voters.
Meanwhile, while addressing the forum in Hyderabad, EAM Jaishankar slammed the Western media by specifically highlighting their false concerns about Kashmir and the abrogation of Article 370.
The Foreign Minister said, “Please understand the importance of what we did with the abrogation of Article 370. We have corrected an enormous mistake, we made in 1947. We created a lobby, we created a vote bank lobby, we created a Kashmiri lobby, some people were arbitraging.”
“I would show to everybody in the Western press one page of the Constitution called temporary provision. You know the meaning of the word temporary, it comes to an end. There is nobody as blind as someone who doesn’t want to see,” he added.
World wants to connect to India: Dr. Jaishankar
Moreover, 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.
Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Jaishankar said, “It is the combination of all of this and, as I said, the stature which the prime minister personally commands…I see that because I travel with him often.”
The fact is, when the G20 met, there was a lot of respect in the rest of the world for PM Modi personally and for Modi’s Bharat, Jaishankar stressed.
(With Inputs from ANI)
