Foreign minister S. Jaishankar has questioned criticisms of Indian democracy in the global press amid the ongoing vote
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has hit out at Western media for criticizing the country’s system of democracy amid ongoing polling to elect the next government. He addressed the issue while speaking about the “respect” India has gained internationally.
“I get a lot of these noises from the Western press,” said the top diplomat, who was speaking at an event in Hyderabad, Telangana, on Tuesday. “If [Western media] criticize our democracy, it is not because they lack information,” he asserted. “It is because they also think they are political players in our election.”
The foreign minister’s comments come in the wake of the latest media reports questioning the credibility of the Indian election, given the threats posed by Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly “deepfakes” as well as concerns over “divisions within the country.”
Many reports have been critical of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for “cracking down” on the opposition, particularly in the wake of the recent arrest of Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi’s chief minister and founder of the opposition Aam Admi Party (AAP) for alleged involvement in a liquor scam.
A Country Which Forgets Its History Will Never Be Respected – EAM Jaishankar On Foreign Media View Of #LokSabhaElections2024
Dr. S Jaishankar quipped about the 'understanding' of why India was holding polls during a heatwave. pic.twitter.com/Fk4PVh80sg
— RT_India (@RT_India_news) April 24, 2024