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'S Jaishankar is a rockstar’: Watch Piyush Goyal praising colleague at HTLS 2023
At the annual event, Goyal said several countries across the world want a free trade agreement with India.
New Delhi: Union minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday heaped praise on his cabinet colleague, external affairs minister S Jaishankar, as he called him a “rockstar”. The minister said he was S Jaishankar's fan and there was no one in the country who didn't appreciate his contribution to furthering India's interests internationally. He was speaking to senior journalist Anand Narasimhan at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit.
"S Jaishankar is my senior colleague. He is also a close friend of mine. I am a big fan of his... he is a rockstar. He has truly made India proud, across the world. There won't be a person in the country that doesn't appreciate S Jaishankar, who is furthering India's interests globally under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said.
At the annual event, Goyal said several countries across the world want a free-trade agreement with India.
"I just came back from two important programmes. One was of course the FII in Saudi Arabia, where I met captains of industries from across the world. After that I was at the Osaka G-7 ministers' meeting... They look up to India as a growth engine of the future. The complaint against me, largely, was that India was not giving enough time to conclude free-trade negotiations fast. Two sets of countries complained to me that our team was not giving attention to our FTAs, you are giving somebody else more focus... they were squabbling over who would become our priority," he said.
Goyal said the countries recognize India's demographic strength.
"We have 140 crore people in India and two-thirds are of the working age. The world sees our strength. Maximum STEM graduates emerge from India, we have skills and managerial talent," he added.
Goyal also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi ensures there is no discrimination in the implementation of government projects and schemes.
"PM Modi monitors the progress of schemes and ensures there is no discrimination on the basis of religion, gender, state... not even on the basis of those who voted for the BJP or Congress…A country like India whose young population is ready to work hard will create demand in the world," he added.
He also spoke about the suspension of trade talks with Canada.
“The politicians of Canada have some baseless misconceptions. Their interests will be adversely affected; it would not cost India anything. We have a huge market, we have opportunities. Canada and Canada's economy will bear the brunt of this decision,” he added.
