EAM Jaishankar highlights how 'India isn't pale imitation' amid urge to take sides in war

As the western pressure to take sides in the Russia- Ukraine war mounts, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in a strong-worded address highlighted how India believed in interacting in the international space the way it is rather than being just a pale imitation. EAM Jaishankar said that the idea that others define India, that the country needed approval from other quarters needed to be kept behind. 

Speaking at a session on India's 75-year-long journey after Independence and the way ahead, Jaishankar said, "We should not be looking at the world with a sense of entitlement. We need to earn our place in the world and which to a certain extent, therefore, comes to the issue of how the world benefits from the growth of India. We need to demonstrate that." 

Best way to 'stop fighting & getting focus on talking'

Jaishankar on Tuesday countered criticism of India's position on Russia's actions in Ukraine, saying the Western powers have been oblivious to the pressing challenges in Asia including last year's developments in Afghanistan. Referring to the Ukraine crisis, the External Affairs Minister said the best way to deal with it would be to focus on "stopping the fighting and getting the talking" and added that India's position on the conflict is best placed to advance such an approach.

"We spent a lot of time yesterday on Ukraine and I have tried to explain what our views are but also explained that in our minds the best way forward is to focus on stopping the fighting, getting them talking, and finding ways of moving forward. We think our choices, our positions are best placed to advance that," he said.

'Difference made through democracy' 

At the event, Jaishankar also highlighted that India's democracy made it different from the rest of the world. "There was a time in this part of the world that we were pretty much the only democracy. If democracy is global today, we see it is global today, I think, in some measure, that credit is due to India," the EAM said.

Having said that, he also highlighted how it was fair to look back on where the country came up short. "One, clearly we did not pay the kind of attention to our social indicators, our human resources as we should have. Two, we did not concentrate on manufacturing and technology strengths as we should have. And three, in terms of foreign policy, probably, in the mix of various elements, we did not give as much importance, as much weight to hard security as we should have," he said, adding that India was now trying to work on the points. 

(With agency inputs)