"There was a time and I would have to say this in all honesty when the West treated democracy as a Western characteristic and was busy encouraging non-democratic forces in the Global South, and it still does.
I mean in many cases, I can point to some very recent ones where everything that you say you value at home, you don't practice abroad" said External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar.
"So, I do think the rest of the Global South will view the successes, shortcomings and the responses of other countries," he said.
Flagging the "double standards" of the West over its view on global democracy, the Minister urged them to embrace the successful models of non-Western countries.
At a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference, Dr Jaishankar said straight out of the talk that the West treated democracy as a "Western characteristic" and had been busy encouraging "non-democratic forces" in the Global South.
The panel also comprised Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, US Senator Elissa Slotkin and Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowsk.
"The Indian experience is more transposable to their societies than perhaps to those of others," he said adding, it was key for the West to embrace the successful models of non-Western countries if it wants democracy to prevail.
Dr Jaishankar differed in the view that global democracy is under threat and said that India is a democratic society and gives nutrition support to 800 million people.
He showed his inked index finger, saying "for us, democracy is actually delivered".
"I appeared to be an optimist in what is relatively a pessimistic panel, if not room. I will begin by sticking up my finger and don't take it badly. It is the index finger. This, the mark you see on my nail, is a mark of a person who has just voted.
We just had an election in my state (Delhi). Last year, we had a national election. In Indian elections, roughly two-thirds of the eligible voters vote. At the national elections, the electorate of about 900 million, about 700 million voted.
We count the votes in a single day," he said when asked about his views on Western democracy.
Asked whether countries in the Global South still aspire to a democratic system and the model that would attract people, the External Affairs Minister said,
"Look, to an extent, all big countries are unique to an extent. But, we would certainly hope, I mean to the extent, we think of democracy as a universal aspiration, ideally a reality.
India chose a democratic model after independence and it chose a democratic model because we have been fundamentally a consultative pluralistic society."
Jaishankar said that India has "historically been an open society" and stayed true to being a democratic model despite challenges.
"I would argue in many ways that India has historically been an open society, one very much linked with the world. So, I do think that in our progress as a democracy, the fact that for all the challenges that we have had, even at a low income, we have stayed true to the democratic model.
When you look at our part of the world, we are pretty much the only country that has done that," he said.
"So, I think this is something the West should look at because if you do want democracy eventually to prevail, it is important that the West also embraces the successful models outside the West," he added.
Slamming "self-appointed custodians" who questioned the rights and wrongs of a democracy, he said that such people would be challenged eventually.
"To self-appointed custodians who have never fought an election, who have nothing to do with democracy is actually telling the rest of the world what is right and what is wrong in a democracy. I think it is, to me, inevitable that it will be challenged," he said.
"Every country has its own mainstream politics and outliers. If I were to look, for example, like how much Europeans and Westerners reach out to outliers in those societies?
If I were to look at what Western Ambassadors do in India, if my Ambassadors did a fraction of that, you would all be up in arms.
I think there are double standards here," he added.
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