"If people can't read read me that means my mind games are working," says Dr S Jaishankar when asked about the confusion in the western world after he visited Moscow and held a special meeting with President Vladimir Putin.
"The part of being Bharat is you must look from the perspective of your interest and not allow other people to decide your judgement and your responses".
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar is practically in Late Arun Jaitley's shoes for Narendra Modi and his Moditva phenomenon. The Minister has come out with his new book, 'Why Bharat Matters'. Well, it could have been called 'why India matters' too ... But a serving Minister handpicked by Modi understands the political importance of 'Bharat' ... as a name.
In an interview with news agency ANI, Dr Jaishankar shares his mind ... yes ..its pro-BJP and a 'Mindset' sincerely loyal towards the Prime Minister.
Dr Jaishankar says: "This (the debate around Bharat) is not something which is a narrow political debate or a historical cultural debate, it is a mindset. And, if we are actually preparing seriously for the 'Amrit Kaal' in the next 25 years and if we are talking of a Viksit Bharat or developed Bharat, that can only happen if you are an 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'".
"There's a very active debate right now (around Bharat nomenclature)," he admits.
"In many ways, people use that debate for their own narrow purposes. The fact is the term 'Bharat' has not just a cultural civilisational connotation, but also a certain confidence and identity and how you perceive yourself and what are the terms you are offering to the world" he waxes eloquence.
Asked if India always 'lost' to China at the mind games, the External Affairs Minister says: “I don't think we always lost out, but at various points of time, when we talk about the parts of the past today, it would be very difficult to understand, Panchsheel agreement is another such example....
The role of confidence and assurance, the fact that we are a multiple millennia civilisation. All of this should be in our demeanor, in our standing and in the way we approach other countries.”
Dr Jaishankar has served in key hubs including Beijing, Russia and Washington and is India's second 'diplomat-turned-neta' after Natwar Singh -- the former Congressman who has served as foreign minister under Dr Manmohan Singh but was booted out within 15-16 months once the Volcker report embarrassed Sonia Gandhi and the party.
To put in perspective, one can say Dr Jaishankar was made the foreign minister in 2019 'replacing' Sushma Swaraj. In fact, the breaking news came out in limelight on May 30, 2019 -- the day of second time swearing in of Namo.
Of course owing to her ill health and doctor counseling her to 'avoid dust' Sushma did not contest 2019 Lok Sabha polls. She expected a Rajya Sabha berth and probably wanted to continue as the foreign minister. However, on the swearing in day, Sushma walked in to the Rashtrapati Bhawan but 'sat separately' and the media could 'break' the story !!
 |
| the then foreign secy Jaishankar with Sushma and NSA Doval : Modi Sarkar 1.0 |
In 2019, Peter Lavoy, a former senior official in the Obama administration. had said- "I have studied India for 30 years, when its foreign policy was largely hesitant, reactive and ineffectual.
My takeaway from Dr S Jaishankar is that India now has a firm grasp of its interests around the world and an assertive, self-confident and purposeful strategy to advance them".
Those tracking Dr Jaishankar are aware that the Minister has his crystal clear views on certain complex issues. On September 17, 2019, at a press meet in New Delhi, Dr Jaishankar has said it was well known to all other members of the SAARC -- Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Maldives -- that who is promoting SAARC and who is against it. It was more than a veiled attack on Pakistan.
"SAARC is a body for regional cooperation, my message on SAARC will be what you require for regional cooperation. You need trade, you need connectivity...If you are to talk about the future of SAARC, which country is today promoting SAARC and which country is today impeding SAARC?" Dr Jaishankar had said.
 |
| Blogger 'with Nehru' in one of foreign ministry buildings in Delhi |
Well, little wonder, Dr Jaishankar's views and opinion on Nehru may not be too pleasing for the Congress party and their eco system. Thus on Jan 2, 2024 --- twenty days before Ram mandir consecration -- Jaishankar criticised country's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru's "romanticism" in dealing with China.
He said while the late Congress leader dealt with China with "idealism", Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has been dealing with the communist country with "realism".
He also said that there was a difference of opinion between Nehru and his deputy Sardar Patel on how to tackle Mao Zedong's China.
"... The Modi government is more in conformity with the strain of realism which originated from Sardar Patel in dealing with China…I argue for dealing with China on the basis of realism that extends all the way from Sardar Patel to Narendra Modi," he said.
On the other hand, he mentions: "If you look at the last 75 years of our foreign policy, we have had a strain of realism about China and we have had a strain of romanticism, non-realism about China. It begins from day one where there is a sharp difference of opinion on how to respond to China between Nehru and Sardar Patel".
This is a food for thought for Congress party and the 'foreign policy' experts in the 24 Akbar Road/10 Janpath camp. Well from Salman Khurshid to Jairam Ramesh and even Randeep Surjewalla - there are many !
Dr Jaishankar has affirmed that Canadian politics have given space to Khalistani forces and also allowed them to indulge in activities that adversely impact bilateral relations between India and Canada. He expressed concern that these actions are not in the interest of either country.
"The issue at heart is the fact that in Canadian politics, these Khalistani forces have been given a lot of space and have been allowed to indulge in activities which I think are damaging to the relationship, clearly not in India's interest, and not in Canada's interest either.
But unfortunately, that is the state of their politics," he said.
The External Affairs Minister also clarified that the G20 summit in New Delhi had no relation to the Khalistani issue in Canada.
"What Pakistan was trying to do, not now but over multiple decades, was really to use cross-border terrorism to bring India to the table. That, in essence, was its core policy. We have made that irrelevant by not playing that game now." he said.
It's not a case that we won't deal with a neighbour. After all, at the end of the day, a neighbour is a neighbour, but it is that we will not deal on the basis of terms that they set where the practice of terrorism is deemed as legitimate and effective in order to bring you to the table," Dr Jaishankar said.
No comments:
Post a Comment