"Not In National Interest": S Jaishankar On Rahul Gandhi Remarks In US

In a sharp attack aimed at Rahul Gandhi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar today said that the Congress leader "taking his narrative" abroad is not in the national interest.

Mr Jaishankar was addressing a press conference on nine years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign policy where he said, "I have no objection to whatever he (Rahul Gandhi) does inside the country but I don't think taking national politics out of the country is in the national interest."

The External Affairs Minister's jibe comes just days after Mr Gandhi, speaking at an event in San Francisco, accused the government of using "all its strength" to stop his party's Bharat Jodo Yatra and misusing central agencies to threaten people. 

"The government used all its strength to stop the Bharat Jodo Yatra. The BJP is threatening people and misusing government agencies. But nothing worked and the impact of the Yatra increased. This happened because the idea of 'Join India' is in everyone's heart," Mr Gandhi said. "The Bharat Jodo Yatra started because all the instruments that we needed to connect with the people were controlled by the BJP-RSS."

Responding to the comments, Mr Jaishankar said, "The world is watching us. Elections are held, sometimes one party wins, and sometimes the other party wins. If there is no democracy in the country, such a change would not come. Results for all elections would be the same."

Mr Jaishankar asserted that India is not easily influenced by coercion, inducements, or false narratives and is a strong and independent nation that is not easily swayed by outside pressure.