Jaishankar stressed the importance of having a clear national identity and purpose, steering away from ambiguous ideologies that may hinder the country’s progress on the global stage.
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar highlighted a significant shift in India’s policy approach, moving away from past influences of ‘faith’ and ‘vote bank’ towards a more pragmatic and strategic decision-making process. Speaking at the ‘Foreign Policy The India Way’ event in Hyderabad, Jaishankar emphasized that several decisions taken in the early years post-independence had long-term repercussions for the nation. Jaishankar underscored the transition from an era of diffidence to a period of clarity and confidence in India’s foreign policy. He stressed the importance of having a clear national identity and purpose, steering away from ambiguous ideologies that may hinder the country’s progress on the global stage. “When we say an era of diffidence, it is not just an era of diffidence, it’s an era where we don’t have clarity, our nationalities. We somewhere, mixed a certain ideological outlook…what could be our contribution to the world,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.
Upholding National Interest
The minister reiterated the principle of ‘India First’ and ‘Bharat First’, emphasizing that while India contributes to the world, it should never come at the expense of compromising national interests. He highlighted the concept of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, signifying global unity while safeguarding India’s sovereignty. “We also do many things for the world but that cannot be at the cost of our national interest. That’s why ‘India First’, ‘Bharat First’ and ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ are two sides of the same coin, but we should never allow Bharat First to be compromised,” he added.
Strategic Relations with Israel
Jaishankar cited the evolution of India-Israel relations, noting that India established its embassy in Israel only in 1992, and Prime Minister Modi’s visit marked a significant milestone. He also addressed how past policies influenced by ‘vote bank’ considerations impacted India’s diplomatic stance.
“Just think of a country like Israel. People say everybody is the same, we should not bring faith in any discussion. Israel became independent in 1948. From 1948 to 1992, we chose not to have an ambassador and an embassy in Israel. Why? From 1992, we had an embassy. From 1992 till 2017, when Narendra Modi went to Israel, no prime minister of India ever visited Israel. Think about it and then tell me that faith does not influence our policy. Is this not vote bank?” Jaishankar further asserted.
Importance of Abrogation of Article 370
Emphasising the importance of abrogation of Article 370, Jaishankar highlighted the creation of a ‘vote bank lobby’ by Indian leadership to maintain the special provision in the former state. Stressing its temporary nature, Jaishankar asserts the necessity of its termination. Describing it as a correction of a significant error made in 1947, he points out the formation of various lobbies, including a Kashmiri lobby. “Please understand the importance of what we did with the abrogation of Article 370. We have corrected an enormous mistake, we made in 1947. We created a lobby, we created a vote bank lobby, we created a Kashmiri lobby, some people were arbitraging,” the Foreign Minister said.
Citizenship Amendment Act
Speaking on the issue of the Citizenship Amendment Act, without naming it, he said that after the number of Hindus, Sikhs and other minorities plummeted since partition, India is trying to give citizenship to those people who have nowhere else to go. “Partition has happened, you can see the violence that has happened and yet we agree with Pakistan that you will treat your minorities well and I will treat my minorities well. If they had treated the minorities well, there would have been no partition. He went to partition with the mindset of not treating the minority well,” Jaishankar said.
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