Internal and external groups politicizing across borders: S Jaishankar

Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said that people from within the country are taking politics outside, and people from outside the country are interfering in Indian politics.

Foreign Minister was addressing the BJYM Yuva Samvada event in Bengaluru.

Jaishankar further emphasized "Many people in the world were very comfortable with how things were in India till 2014 and after things changed, they saw different confidence, different beliefs. Suddenly people started saying there is something wrong, the court is not performing properly, the election commission is not okay, the press is being restricted. Everything happened after 2014 only?"

"Why is that happening? You have people outside India who have an interest in people inside India. And when those people do not get electoral success and they are today seen as less and less representing the reality of India, there is an attempt from outside to make out as though that is normal and somewhere India has started to deviate. Now if you look historically, this is the normal -- what you are seeing today," Jaishankar said.

The comment by Jaishankar comes in the midst of a political controversy revolving around Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has demanded an apology from Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi for a speech he made in London.

In his speech, Rahul Gandhi, who had previously been disqualified from the Lok Sabha due to his conviction in a 2019 defamation case, was accused of seeking the help of foreign countries in India's internal politics.

Jaishankar also commented on the recent attack on Indian missions abroad. "It is the obligation of the receiving country to ensure the embassy or the high commission or the consulate and their premises are respected. These obligations were not met," Jaishankar added.

On Saturday, the Ministry of External Affairs in India summoned the Canadian High Commissioner Cameron MacKay and expressed its strong concerns about the actions of pro-Khalistan elements targeting Indian missions in Canada.