’Countries that go to court to decide elections give us gyan’: Jaishankar hits back at Western media

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has flayed the Western media for its "negative" portrayal of Indian elections, highlighting the irony of advice from countries that "have to go to court for deciding election results." Speaking in Kolkata during the launch of the Bangla edition of his book Why Bharat Matters, Jaishankar expressed his disapproval of the guidance, or "gyan," on electoral processes offered by such nations, as per ANI.

Commenting on the historical context of the issue he said, "They (Western countries) do want to influence us because many of these countries feel that they have influenced this world for the last 70-80 years...Western countries actually feel that they influenced the world for the last 200 years. How do you expect someone who has been in that position to give up those old habits so easily?"

Jaishankar also pointed out the preference of Western media for certain classes and ideologies in governance, which contrasts with the choices of the Indian electorate. "Why these newspapers are so negative on India? Because they are seeing an India which is not in a sense compliant with their image of how India should be. They want people, ideology, or a way of life...they want that class of people to rule this country, and they are disturbed when the Indian population feels otherwise," he explained.

Jaishankar accused the Western press of partisan practices, stating, "Western media in some cases have openly endorsed candidates and political parties, they don't hide their preference. They are very smart, somebody is doing this domination game for 300 years, they learn a lot, anubhavi log hain, chatur log hain (they are experienced and clever people)."

Describing the situation as a "mind game," Jaishankar highlighted the hypocrisy of countries that resolve electoral disputes in court yet lecture India on election conduct. "Countries which have to go to court to decide the result of their election are giving us gyan about how to conduct the election. This is the mind game that is happening in the world," he said.

 Jaishankar also praised the Indian electorate’s participation in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections despite extreme heat, noting the high voter turnout compared to Western standards.

The Lok Sabha Elections 2024 are being held across seven phases, with the counting of votes scheduled for June 4. The first four phases were conducted on April 19, April 26, May 7, and May 13, with the remaining phases set for May 20, May 27, and June 1.

(With Inputs from ANI)