NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his remarks on India’s domestic politics during his visit to the United States and expressed confidence that BJP will win the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
“2024 ka result toh wahi hoga, hamein pata hai..”, Jaishankar said at a press conference here in response to a query on Rahul Gandhi’s remarks in the United States.
Jaishankar, who addressed a press conference on Modi government completing nine years, said Rahul Gandhi expects that outside support will work in India and if the narrative against the BJP-led government does not work in India, it is taken abroad.
“Rahul Gandhi is habitual of criticising the country and making comments on our politics whenever he goes out of the country. The world is looking at us and what are they seeing? Elections are held, sometimes one party wins and some other times the other party wins. If there is no democracy in the country, such a change should not come. Results for all elections should be the same. 2024 ka result toh wahi hoga, hamein pata hai…,” Jaishankar said.
“If you see, all this narrative (against the government) has been made in India. If this narrative does not work in India or gets less attention in the country, then this narrative is taken outside. He expects that outside support will work in India.
“We have democracy in the country, I will have something, you will have something. You will have some politics while we will have some politics. I have no objection to whatever he does inside the country but I don’t think taking national politics out of the country is in the national interest. I don’t feel it will increase his credibility,” he added.
Addressing the Indian diaspora earlier this week during his visit to United States, Rahul Gandhi had alleged that there is an attack on the democratic structure of the country.
“Full-scale attack on our institutions, on our judiciary, on our media and it is your responsibility and our responsibility to defend the idea of India,” he said.
Jaishankar also said India today has an image of economic collaborator not just with the developing south but with the global economy.
“The second image of India today is of an economic collaborator. An economic collaborator not just with the developing south, but with the global economy. And you can see that in terms of the FDI flows, in terms of the increased exports, in terms of actually this very important conversation taking place in the world today about trusted collaboration.”
Jaishankar recalled that during his last visit to the US, the American Semiconductor Association told him that they have at least 40,000 engineers in India on chip design alone. He emphasised that India is making a largest economic impact and added that it is being increasingly recognized.
“In my last visit to the US and Foreign Secretary has just come back, he’s taken that forward… the American Semiconductor Association told me that to the best of their knowledge, they employ at least 40,000 engineers in India on chip’s design alone. And that’s just the bit which they know. So, the point I want to make here is, apart from development in terms of South South, there is a larger economic impact we are making and that is today increasingly recognized,” Jaishankar said.
The minister said that the world, particularly the Global South, perceives India as a “development partner – as a credible, effective development partner with delivery on the ground.” (ANI)