New Delhi: During a Q and A session at National University of Singapore on Saturday, visiting External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar blamed the west for setting narratives which affected the global reputations of countries. He said: “West has been both a player, umpire at the same, mostly they win as a result. People have to contest that.”
But before he left for three nation visit on Friday night, EAM Jaishankar after discussion with senior officers directed that uncalled for observations of German spokesperson on the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister by Enforcement Directorate on money laundering charges in the Excise Policy scam must be contested as this constituted unwarranted interference by Bonn into India’s judicial process and democracy.
While the summoned German deputy chief of mission Georg Enzweller justified the comment of the spokesman by saying that he praised Indian democracy, the Ministry of External Affairs summarily dismissed the explanation and literally asked Germany to stay out of Indian judicial processes and that India was not seeking any certification on democracy in Bharat.
The Indian protest against German observations on Delhi CM arrest is a clear signal from the Modi government that it will repudiate any outside interference into India’s internal affairs and nothing will go unchallenged as the country was heading towards a general election.
Interestingly, the question to the German spokesman after the Delhi CM arrest was asked by a correspondent of Deutsche Welle, a state owned public broadcaster funded by the German federal tax budget. This is akin to Doordarshan India correspondent asking MEA spokesperson about the German inaction against funding of Khalistani radicals from the Deutsche Republic.
Earlier this month, Canadian state funded broadcaster telecasted a so-called investigative documentary on killing of Khalistan Tiger Force terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia on June 18, 2023. Full of innuendos and imputations against India and through the eyes of Khalistani radicals living in Canada, the so called CBS documentary tried to justify Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s September 18, 2023 statement in Canadian Parliament alleging India’s involvement in the killing based on “credible allegations.”
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It is another matter, India is still waiting for Canada to take action against rabid anti-Indian Khalistani radicals for instigating violence against Indian diplomats and desecrating Hindu Temples in the Ontario region. Fact is that India asked Canada to withdraw its 44 diplomats to restore parity but also because first secretaries of the Canadian Embassy in New Delhi and consulates in Chandigarh were directly in touch with the representatives of the political party in power in these two states.
The present mood on Raisina Hill is such that it will not take anything lying down—be it the ludicrous statement of China on PM Modi’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh or any sanctimonious statements from the west. India clearly has no time for third umpires.