External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said here on Sunday that he was prepared to take lessons on China from Rahul Gandhi but learnt that he himself was taking lessons from the Chinese Ambassador and hence he would rather talk to the original source.
He was participating in an interactive session on ‘Foreign Policy of Modi government’, organised by Thinkers’ Forum. In reply to a question Mr. Jaishankar continued that he was prepared to receive serious propositions on China from Mr. Gandhi but it should not turn into a slanging match.
“Foreign policy has also become an arena but on certain issues we need to have a responsibility to behave in a manner so as to not weaken our collective position abroad. But in the last three years there have been misleading narrations and interpretations pertaining to the developments on the LAC with China,” said Mr. Jaishankar.
He also tore into Pakistan for its behaviour as a SAARC member, saying that it denied India access to Afghanistan, denied the Most Favoured Nation status for trade and nothing was working except terrorism. “It is not in our interest to be locked in perpetual conflict with Pakistan but we have to draw a line somewhere and stand for ourselves,” said Mr. Jaishankar.
On the need to rebut narratives about India being spread by western institutions Mr. Jaishankar said he had read all the reports on indexes like Press Freedom Index, Democracy Index etc., and found India behind countries like even Afghanistan, which is preposterous. These were mind games and akin to lowering the ranks of countries one did not like and promoting those one liked, he added.
