New Delhi: India's Union Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar yet again came down heavily on the Western media reporting on India. In an interview with news agency ANI today, Jaishankar said that there was an “International Khan Market Gang” trying to “demoralise, delegitimise” the citizens of India. This is happening in the wake of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024, and will continue after that, said the EAM.

On being asked his opinion on the inaccurate reporting of Western media on Indian politics and the establishment, Jaishankar said, "Let me dissect your issue. Western media - why are they doing it? Let’s be fair, not all of them, many of them. In the country today, there is a certain ‘thought process’ or ‘entitlement process’, which I think, the metaphor ‘Khan market gang’ is a very good description of.”

The Foreign Minister elaborated, “You may or not realise it. I want to tell you, there is an International Khan Market Gang as well. These are people who are sort of linked to the ‘entitled people’ out here. They are socially comfortable with them, they know them, they feel like them, they advance similar viewpoints…They are essentially a kind of ‘Elitist, Left-Lib thought process’.”

International Khan Market Gang supports Indian counterparts

Is there a symbiotic relationship between the ‘International Khan Market Gang’ and the one in India? “Oh, absolutely,” opined Jaishankar. “So, I think when the sales are down in the domestic Khan market, the international Khan market gang feels, look, I need to pep up these guys and give them support. And you can actually see that...you can actually see which stories they play out, how they slant them…”

“In fact, in previous elections (in India) and perhaps even in this one, they have openly endorsed (political) parties and leaders, and openly said that this party or this leader is bad for India. So, they’ll take a stance,” said Jaishankar.

Is Western Media reportage interfering in Indian elections?

“I believe it is election influence, certainly, depending on how strongly you take it. You have a point there. And it’s not just them. It’s a press, university think tank…some degree of official…at some kind of medium level, because the guys up there are very smart. They don’t get into that,” said Jaishankar.

The EAM further explained that there is a “very clear attempt, a very persistent attempt being made to influence the direction of Indian politics and the choices of the Indian voter. It peaks at election time, but it continues even after that. All these rankings that you get…what do you think they are? They are all an attempt to demoralise you, delegitimise you, to kind of shape that all these things are wrong with India because, India is going to give them a result they don't like”.

It is not the first time that EAM Jaishankar has called out Western media on their India reportage. The Foreign Minister continues to take a stance against the Western media's attempts to influence Indian voters and the public in general.