Says country’s international standing higher than before

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today clashed on social media over the direction of India’s foreign policy. It all began earlier in the day when Rahul posted a three-minute video alleging that India was courting economic and financial disaster under the current government.

Jaishankar’s riposte in a series of tweets was stylish and acidic where he blamed the previous government of messing up ties with many countries in the neighbourhood.

“India has been disturbed and disrupted,” Rahul said, adding that “empty words don’t suffice in the world of geopolitics.” The Congress leader alleged that while India had a transactional relationship with major powers such as the US, Russia and the European Union, it no longer shared a warm relationship with most of its neighbours.

Jaishankar asserted that all of India’s major partnerships were stronger and India’s international standing higher than before. “Witness the regular summits and informal meetings with the US, Russia, Europe and Japan. India engages China on more equal terms politically,” he claimed while ending his tweet with “Ask the analysts”. This last flourish was a constant factor in the subsequent tweets where he asked Rahul to “ask the Afghan street”, “ask Bhutan households”?

“We speak our mind more openly now on issues such as China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Belt and Road Initiative and South China Sea,” said Jaishankar. Dealing with the neighbourhood, he said Rahul’s criticism of India missing out on Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka (which went to China) was misplaced as the deal was concluded in 2008 (during the UPA era). The Foreign Minister then blamed the previous government for the dip in ties with Maldives and Bhutan.

He added that Afghanistan had seen several completed India-built projects.

On Pakistan, the minister invited Rahul to note the difference between Balakot and Uri on the one hand and Sharm-el-Sheikh and Mumbai attacks on the other.

Courtesy: Daily Tribune:  18th July, 2020