On Tuesday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar slammed Western media for interfering in India's democracy. The minister stated that Western media often see themselves as political actors in the electoral process.

Addressing a forum for nationalist thinkers in Hyderabad, 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."

The minister pointed out an article in the Western media, which questioned India's decision to conduct elections during a heatwave.

"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 quipped.

Jaishankar said that such remarks come from a place of intrusion and are purely political.

"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.

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."

The EAM said that the Western media also slams the Bharatiya Janata Party by calling it "unfair", and added, "In a kind of way, today, we are at a very important inflection point.".

"They will question your election system, your EVM, your election commission, even the weather," Jaishankar said.

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.

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 India's growing significance on the global platform, Jaishankar remarked that there is considerable interest in engaging with India, establishing connections, and collaborating with the country.

"When we got our G20 chair presidency, it was on December 1, 2022. I think most of the world said, you know, I don't know where you guys got stuck. You know how this is going to happen. You are going to have a really difficult time managing this. And yet, actually, when the G20 summit met, within the first day, we were actually able to forge a consensus," the minister said.

Image source: PTI