EAM S Jaishankar slams Opposition for disrupting foreign policy statement

New Delhi, July 27

India is now recognised as a voice that speaks for all and stands for peace, security and prosperity, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in Parliament on Thursday.

Making a suo motu statement on ‘Latest Developments in India’s Foreign Policy’ in both Houses of Parliament, he also said India’s G20 presidency has served as a catalyst in invigorating the country’s foreign policy and also realising the vision of ‘atmanirbhar and viksit Bharat’.

What kind of INDIA?

They claim to be ‘INDIA’, the name of their alliance, but if they are not prepared to listen about India’s national interests, then what kind of INDIA are they? S Jaishankar, EAM

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Making the statement amidst din, he listed overseas engagements by top dignitaries with a prominent mention of PM Modi’s US visit to make the case that Indian foreign policy was vigorously active.

At a time when international affairs have become “unprecedented and complex”, India’s people-centric foreign policy is guided by the demands and aspirations of society. “Today, the world recognises that when India speaks, it speaks not only for itself, but for many others. And that India speaks as a voice of peace, security and prosperity for all,” he said.

Jaishankar later said he felt bad that the Opposition was not ready to listen. Noting that the INDIA alliance arrived at the Parliament wearing black clothes in protest against the Manipur violence, Jaishankar said, “They claim to be ‘INDIA’, the name of their alliance, but if they are not prepared to listen about India’s national interests, then what kind of INDIA are they?”

“I wanted to inform the House of the developments made in the past month. You saw a very successful visit of the PM to the US…I felt bad that the Opposition was not ready to listen. It seemed that they wanted to criticise any and every achievement of the country,” he said.

“This is India’s foreign policy, not any party’s foreign policy. So when we presented the achievements of India’s foreign policy in front of the House, we saw that the Opposition was not ready to listen at all,” he said.