Shimla. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on Tuesday that the world is currently going through a period of tension and the ongoing conflicts in various parts are not likely to end soon and in these circumstances India needs a stable government and a strong and powerful leader who has “access, prestige and respect from every major leader of the world”. Jaishankar said in a conversation with some selected media persons here that conflicts are going on in Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Gaza-Iran and there are problems on the Indian borders as well. He said that a clear message should go that India has a strong leadership.
He said, “The world is going through a period of tension and the ongoing conflicts will not end so soon and that is why India needs a stable government, a strong and powerful leader who has access to every major leader of the world and has a reputation and respect.” Jaishankar asked, “If your family was in Ukraine during the Russia-Ukraine war, who would you like to see at the top of the country – Prime Minister Narendra Modi or someone else.” He told media persons, “I think the coming four-five years will be difficult and voters should vote wisely because similar conflicts can happen on our borders as well.”
The foreign minister said China was building roads, bridges and villages on the border land it had taken over in 1962 and had built a road to Siachen in collaboration with Pakistan. He said India too had deployed troops on the border, improved equipment and the budget for the India-China border had been increased from Rs 3,000 crore to Rs 15,000 crore.
Responding to a question, Jaishankar said the idea behind the ‘Vibrant Village’ programme for the development of border villages is to stop the migration of people from the borders and provide livelihood by providing basic amenities like infrastructure, water, digital connections. He said, “We are living in a competitive world and China is pushing itself ahead and India has also focused on manufacturing (made in India) to make the country self-reliant, create employment and self-employment opportunities for overall development.” The Foreign Minister also said that India has given a clear message that terrorism will not be tolerated and terrorists will have to pay the price for it. He said that ten years of Modi government are a symbol of positive change.
Jaishankar said, “Our support base in the United Nations is growing under Modi’s leadership. Modi is being seen as a strong leader and today different nations look towards India.” Referring to the issue of India’s permanent membership in the United Nations, Jaishankar said that in 1944 India was not an independent nation and could not get membership. He claimed that although India was offered a permanent seat when Jawaharlal Nehru was the Prime Minister, Nehru said that China should be a permanent member.
Attacking the Congress for raising sensitive issues in political campaigning, Jaishankar also alleged that China had intruded into Arunachal Pradesh during the tenure of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi but the then opposition never said anything publicly to embarrass the government.