India should approach China | On the basis of realism
Dr. S. Jaishankar discussed a wide range of subjects in an informal conversation with the news, including India’s place in the world, its ties to Pakistan, China, Canada, and Russia, and the usage of the name “Bharat” rather than “India.”
In response to criticism of his recent travel to Russia in Western media, Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar stated on Tuesday that India is concentrating on how to deepen its ties with countries worldwide. He also stated that each country has its own values and interests. He also discussed how the policies of then-Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru differed with reference to China, saying that India should approach China realistically, as Patel had suggested.
In an interview with ANI, he discussed the publication of his recently released book, “Why Bharat Matters,” which he sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 30, 2023. In an informal interview, Jaishankar discussed a wide range of subjects, such as India’s place in the world, its ties to Pakistan, China, Canada, and Russia, and why the word “Bharat” is used rather than “India.”
China-Indian relations
Speaking about the differences in views between India’s first Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhai Patel and then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on the matter, Jaishankar stated that India should engage with China with mutual respect, sensitivity, and interest. The approach should also be based on realism rather than the romanticism of the Nehruvian era.
“I make the case for approaching China from a realistic standpoint—that strain of realism, in my opinion—stretches from Sardar Patel to Narendra Modi,” Jaishankar remarked. “I would say that the Modi Government has adhered to a strain of realism that was first introduced by Sardar Patel, and has done so even more so.”
“It’s a different debate to say that we should first let China—that China’s interest should come first—but even when it came, for example, to the UN Security Council seat, I don’t think we should have necessarily taken the seat,” he remarked.
“To clap, you need two hands. I put the question this way: if you look at our foreign policy over the last 75 years or so, there is a strain of idealism, romanticism, and non-realism concerning China, as well as a strain of realism. There is a clear disagreement between Nehru and Sardar Patel about how to react to China from the very beginning, the foreign minister remarked.
Accusing foreign media of “trying to push a certain line because they have a certain interest,” Jaishankar criticized the criticism of India’s positions on a number of subjects, including the country’s continued connection with Russia.
“I’m not claiming we’re flawless. Not that there isn’t space for improvement. But consider their goals and motivations. They have goals and motivations, he stated, noting that it is not appropriate to accept their reports at face value. He remarked, “If anything, I could be making judgments on a lot of other democracies.”
The Western media, which is skeptical of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s policies, especially in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has denounced Jaishankar’s recent visit to Moscow, where he met with Putin. Policy analysts called Putin’s meeting with a foreign minister rather than the president “unusual,” and social media users shared videos showing the two men joking around.
“We have always maintained that the relationship with Russia is very essential, so I see no reason why we should take anything else than face value. We value this connection, as I stated publicly even before my meeting with President Putin. India benefited much from this connection, he claimed.
According to Jaishankar, Indian interests come first. “I am examining it from an Indian standpoint… A nation with wise diplomacy is undoubtedly one that has the greatest number of friends and the fewest number of enemies. What would make a nation limit its allies? If the interest didn’t force it to, why would it choose to? My attention is directed toward developing new connections. In a democracy, you should do this and that because of the mind games other people play. Please tell me, gazing into the mirror, how you were acting in a democratic manner. Every nation finds its own balance between its principles and interests,” he continued.
Regarding ties between India and Pakistan
According to Jaishankar, Pakistan’s “core policy” of using “cross-border terrorism to bring India to the table” is no longer being pursued by India.
We won’t avoid a neighbor, that much is true. In the end, a neighbor is a neighbor, but in order to get you to the table, we won’t negotiate under the conditions they set where terrorism is considered a legal and productive activity,” the man stated.
The dispute in Canada
Speaking on the recent rift in relations between India and Canada over the Khalistan dispute, the External Affairs Minister claimed that Canadian politics has been providing Khalistani forces with a lot of room, which is not in the best interests of any country.
The fundamental problem lies in the fact that these Khalistani elements have been given a lot of leeway in Canadian politics and have been permitted to engage in actions that, in my opinion, are detrimental to the relationship and obviously not in the best interests of either Canada or India. However, he regretted that “that is the status of their politics.”
Following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s accusation that the Indian government was involved in the death of Khalistani rebel Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, relations between India and Canada have lately deteriorated. The assertions were sharply refuted by India, which described them as “absurd and motivated” and asserted that Canada had offered “no specific information” to back up the accusations.
Why is it called “Bharat”?
Ever since it appeared in the official G20 dinner invitation, the word “Bharat” has generated a great deal of discussion and rumors of an official renaming of the nation from India to Bharat.
Talking about the matter, Jaishankar stated that it is a mindset rather than “a narrow political debate or a historical cultural debate”.
People use that discussion for their own limited goals in many different ways. The truth is that the word “Bharat” refers to not only a cultural civilization but also to a sense of self-assurance, identity, and what you are presenting to the outside world, the speaker stated.
“Being a ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ is the only way that you can be a Viksit Bharat or developed Bharat if we are genuinely preparing seriously for the ‘Amrit Kaal’ in the next 25 years,” he continued.
