New Delhi:

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Saturday attended the launch of Indian historian Vikram Sampath’s book ‘Tipu Sultan: The Saga of the Mysore Interregnum’ at the Indian Habitat Centre here in Delhi. S Jaishankar described Tipu Sultan as a “very complex figure in history,” highlighting both his resistance to British colonial control and the controversial aspects of his rule.

Speaking at the event, S Jaishankar said, “Tipu Sultan is actually a very, very complex figure in history. On the one hand, he has the reputation as a key figure who resisted the British colonial control over India, and it is a fact that his defeat and death can be considered a turning point when it came to the fate of peninsular India.”

However, S Jaishankar also noted the “adverse” effects of Tipu Sultan’s rule in the Mysore region. “At the same time, he evokes strong adverse sentiments even today in many regions, some in Mysore itself,” he added.

S Jaishankar further emphasized that Indian history has focused more on Tipu Sultan’s battles with the British, and “underplaying” or “neglecting” other aspects of his rule. “Contemporary history writing, certainly at the national level, has focused largely on the former, and underplaying, if not neglecting the later. Let’s be honest, this was not an accident,” he said.

Asserting that History is complicated, S Jaishankar said that “cherry-picking of facts” in the case of Tipu Sultan has led to the advancement of a “political narrative”.

“History, in all societies, is complicated, and politics indulges in cherry-picking the facts. This has happened in the case of Tipu Sultan. By highlighting the Tipu-English binary, to the exclusion of a more complicated reality, a particular narrative has been advanced over the years,” he said.

S Jaishankar reaffirmed that under PM Modi’s government, India has seen the emergence of alternative perspectives.

“In the last 10 years, the changes in our political dispensation have led to the emergence of alternative perspectives. We are no longer prisoners of a vote bank, nor it is politically incorrect to bring out inconvenient truth,” he added.

Speaking further about the book, S Jaishankar said, “As someone from the diplomatic world, I was really struck by info and insights which are provided in this volume on Tipu Sultan. We in India have tendered to mainly study post-independence foreign policy — perhaps this too was a conscious choice. But the fact is that many of our kingdoms and states forayed into international affairs in previous centuries in pursuance of thier particular interests, and some, by the way, continued to do so even till independence. The interaction of Tipu’s missionary with their French and English counterparts is really fascinating.”

S Jaishankar concluded by saying that open-minded scholarship and genuine debate are central to India’s evolution as a pluralistic society and vibrant democracy.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bengaluru:

In the name of open economy, we allowed other countries to get an advantageous playing field in the country and this has to stop, said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday.

S Jaishankar was delivering a virtual keynote address at the 8th India Idea Conclave at Bengaluru. This year, the conclave, organised by India Foundation, is exploring the theme, ‘building Brand Bharath’.

“In the name of globalisation, we actually hollowed out the manufacturing. SMEs have been hurting for the last 30 years because they see unfair competition, see subsidised goods coming into the country. If we cannot protect them, they cannot compete,” he said.

According to S Jaishankar, under Modi’s ‘Brand Bharath’, this is being done differently as ‘Make in India’ has moved from aspiration to an assertion.

“Look at semi conductors industry. We understand today semi conductor will be a make or break for a country like India,” he said, adding that where India that is Bharath is doing things differently is in taking the hard calls were necessary.

One such call is being prudent on foreign direct investments (FDI), said S Jaishankar.

“I can tell you, in every FDI negotiation, we think very long, very hard. We are very concerned both about the social fabric and employment consequences of an FDI, as well as its national security implications,” the Minister said.

He added that the Modi government will never sign an FDI if these are not addressed.

“And I think that is the departure from the past,” he said.

The minister also said since PM Modi took over, if he has to pick a region where India has really built a Brand Bharath, it would be the Middle East.

According to him, traditional belief is that if a country does well with Israel, it will lose all other players in the region. But he pointed out that India has proved this conventional wisdom wrong in the last 10 years.

“Today, Brand Bharath is seen as an ambitious brand. We are not just one among many willing to go with the flow. We will take the hard calls, put in resources, and we will stay in touch with the contemporary world… Under PM Modi, that really has been the big change, which is why our brand is different,” said S Jaishankar.

The India Idea Concalve concludes on November 24.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bengaluru:

In the name of open economy, we allowed other countries to get an advantageous playing field in the country and this has to stop, said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday.

S Jaishankar was delivering a virtual keynote address at the 8th India Idea Conclave at Bengaluru. This year, the conclave, organised by India Foundation, is exploring the theme, ‘building Brand Bharath’.

“In the name of globalisation, we actually hollowed out the manufacturing. SMEs have been hurting for the last 30 years because they see unfair competition, see subsidised goods coming into the country. If we cannot protect them, they cannot compete,” he said.

According to S Jaishankar, under Modi’s ‘Brand Bharath’, this is being done differently as ‘Make in India’ has moved from aspiration to an assertion.

“Look at semi conductors industry. We understand today semi conductor will be a make or break for a country like India,” he said, adding that where India that is Bharath is doing things differently is in taking the hard calls were necessary.

One such call is being prudent on foreign direct investments (FDI), said S Jaishankar.

“I can tell you, in every FDI negotiation, we think very long, very hard. We are very concerned both about the social fabric and employment consequences of an FDI, as well as its national security implications,” the Minister said.

He added that the Modi government will never sign an FDI if these are not addressed.

“And I think that is the departure from the past,” he said.

The minister also said since PM Modi took over, if he has to pick a region where India has really built a Brand Bharath, it would be the Middle East.

According to him, traditional belief is that if a country does well with Israel, it will lose all other players in the region. But he pointed out that India has proved this conventional wisdom wrong in the last 10 years.

“Today, Brand Bharath is seen as an ambitious brand. We are not just one among many willing to go with the flow. We will take the hard calls, put in resources, and we will stay in touch with the contemporary world… Under PM Modi, that really has been the big change, which is why our brand is different,” said S Jaishankar.

The India Idea Concalve concludes on November 24.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday called for “urgent” measures to address the issue of widening trade deficit between India and Russia.

While India’s exports to Russia stood at only USD 2.24 billion in April-August this fiscal, imports soared to USD 27.35 billion during the period. The trade deficit is aggregated at USD 25.11 billion.

The high trade deficit is mainly on account crude imports.

Russia emerged as India’s biggest supplier of crude oil, which is converted into fuels like petrol and diesel in refineries, after Russian oil was available on discount following some European nations shunning purchases from Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Addressing the India-Russia Business Forum here, S Jaishankar also pitched for removal of non-tariff barriers and regulatory impediments to help improve the trade balance with Russia.

“The balance of trade needs urgent redressal since it is so one-sided. It is imperative that non-tariff barriers and regulatory impediments are speedily addressed for this to happen,” he said.

The bilateral trade currently stands at USD 66 billion, and the goal of reaching USD 100 billion is “more than realistic”, he added.

Further, he advocated for mutual settlement of trade in the national currencies, especially in the “current circumstances”.

“Special Rupee Vostro Accounts are right now an effective mechanism. However, even in the short run, a better trade balance with national currency settlements is the answer,” he added.

S Jaishankar said the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin at the Annual Summit in Moscow and last month in Kazan provided a “strategic direction”.

“A partnership between an India that has an 8 per cent growth rate for multiple decades ahead, and a Russia that is a key natural resources provider and a major technology leader will serve both of them and the world well,” he said.

Continued attention is needed on the three connectivity initiatives between two economies, S Jaishankar said, referring to International North-“South Transport Corridor, Chennai-Vladivostok Corridor and the Northern Maritime Route.

“It is natural that there would be concerns, such as banking and payment related issues, logistical challenges like shipping, insurance and reinsurance as well as market access. Obviously, we have to find solutions that work to the comfort level of those actually involved in trade,” he said.

In energy domains like oil, gas, coal or uranium, India will always be a major player in the international markets.

“This applies as well to the demand for fertilisers of various kinds. Constructing a mutually beneficial arrangement will help us both address the volatility and the uncertainty of our times,” the minister said.

India and Russia can also partner to address the “demographic unevenness” or to capitalise on the global workplace model, he said, adding that this will require a focused initiative that “customises human resources” for Russian market.

He also said non-economic domains are also important, such as using education and films for a larger societal but also an economic connect between the two countries.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov was also present at the event, which was supported by Indian industry lobby grouping Ficci and had many businessmen in attendance, including Mahindra’s Anish Shah.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar shared his experience of working with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and described him as a “demanding and interactive boss.”

Speaking at the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of the Aditya Birla Group Scholarships Programme in Mumbai, S Jaishankar was asked about how is PM Modi as a boss. Responding to the question, S Jaishankar said, “I have daily appraisal sessions. In a way, I would say he is honestly a demanding boss. I say that because he prepares. If you are discussing something, you have to be fully prepared. You have to know what you are talking about to make your argument or case. You must stand your ground and you must have the data.”

S Jaishankar further highlighted two characteristics of PM Modi’s leadership style and said that PM Modi is a very interactive boss who encourages open discussion and gives his team “operational freedom.”

He said, “A second characteristic I would say is that he is a very interactive boss. There are bosses who make up their minds before you talk to them or there are those who give you a decision. His way of decision-making is very much interactive.”

“I have enjoyed working with him because he takes a call and then gives you that latitude. During the Ukraine crisis, he took a call that we need to get people out. Do what it takes, use the Air Force, use civil aviation, talk to people, tell me what I have to do, if I have to make a phone call, I will do, if you have to send ministers out there to do so. He gives you that operational freedom. It is not like he is not tracking you, but he is not micromanaging you. I have enjoyed the experience of this job,” S S Jaishankar added.

S Jaishankar during the event also emphasised India’s confidence in its ties with the US despite global concerns and highlighted PM Modi’s rapport with successive US Presidents and his ability to build strong relationships ranging from from Barack Obama to Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

He said, “…The Prime Minister was among the first three calls I think that President Trump took. Prime Minister Modi has actually built rapport across multiple presidents. When he first came to DC, Obama was the president, then it was Trump, then it was Biden. So, you know, for him, there’s something natural in terms of how he forges those relationships. So, that’s helped hugely.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

There is a trend towards a more diverse, multipolar world but older, industrialised economies have not gone away and remain prime investment targets, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Sunday.

Speaking at the silver jubilee celebrations of the Aditya Birla Group’s Scholarships programme in Mumbai, S Jaishankar said while a lot of countries are nervous about the US — following the return of Donald Trump as President — India is not one among them.

“Yes, there is a shift. We are ourselves an example of the shift… if you look at our economic weight, you look at our economic ranking, you look at even Indian corporates, their reach, their presence, Indian professionals, which I spoke about. So no question there is a rebalancing,” S Jaishankar said in response to a question on the reset in the global power dynamic that was playing out amid the shift in the balance of power from the west to the east.

“And to my mind, it was inevitable,” he said, adding, “because once these countries after the colonial period got their independence, they started making their own policy choices, then they were bound to grow.” “The part which is not inevitable is that some grew faster, some grew slower, some grew better, and there the quality of governance and the quality of leadership came in. So, there is, in a sense, therefore, the constant and the variable.

“There is a trend towards a more diverse, multipolar world. But there is also, you know, a period when countries really surge ahead. I mean, it’s like what happened in the corporate world as well.” He, however, said the industrialised economies in the west cannot be ignored and remain prime investment targets.

“But do remember one thing, the older, the western economies, the older industrialised economies, they have not gone away. They still count, they are still prime investment targets. They are big markets, strong technology centres, hubs for innovation. So let’s recognise the shift, but let’s not get carried away and kind of overstate it and distort our own understanding of the world,” the minister said.

Speaking on the India-US relationship and Trump’s win, he said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first three calls, I think, that President (elect) Trump took.” India and Prime Minister Modi have built rapport with multiple presidents, he said.

“For him (PM Modi) there’s something natural in terms of how he forges those relationships. So that’s helped hugely. And I think the changes in India have helped as well,” he said, when asked how he sees the US presidential election outcome impacting India-US ties, especially given PM Modi’s strong personal rapport with the US President-elect.

“I know today a lot of countries are nervous about the US, let’s be honest about it. We are not one of them,” S Jaishankar said.

Earlier, Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla said investment in talent is what shapes the future, and emphasised that with the scholarship programme, “we were driven by the ambition to create a cadre of handpicked leaders who would excel in India and also represent our country abroad”.

“The Aditya Birla Scholarship is a tribute to my father’s legacy and an ode to the spirit of ambition and extraordinary determination that defines India. With this scholarship programme, we were driven by the ambition to create a cadre of handpicked leaders who would excel in India and also represent our country abroad,” he said.

Terming the scholarship a microcosm of India’s immense talent — abundant and outstanding — Birla said, “The extraordinary success of the programme, as measured by the achievements of our scholars over the years, only indicates that ultimately investment in talent is what shapes the future.” Established in 1999 in memory of late industrialist Aditya Vikram Birla, the programme has emerged as one of India’s most-coveted merit-based scholarships, according to the group.

The programme partners with 22 premier institutions, including select IITS, BITS Pilani, leading IIMS, XLRI, and national law schools.

Over its 25-year journey, over 10,000 applications have been evaluated by a team of experts, maintaining a steadfast commitment to excellence and diversity. The total number of Aditya Birla Scholars now stands at 781 across engineering, management, and law disciplines, according to the group.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Pune:

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday stated that the countries from the Global South have a “high degree” of trust and expectations from India.

Addressing an interactive session with students at a university in Pune today, S Jaishankar said, “What do we mean by the Global South? We largely mean countries that were colonized, who got their independence or who are still developing, who would be largely low-income countries… They have a high degree of trust and expectation in India and with a reason.”

The foreign minister noted three instances in recent years where India had stood with Global South countries, including Covid times.

He recalled that New Delhi delivered COVID-19 vaccines to many countries at the time India was still vaccinating its own people.

“I can give you three examples. In much of the Global South, people do remember that during COVID, when the developed world was actually stockpiling vaccines, many of them got their first vaccines from India and they got their vaccines from India when India was still vaccinating its own people. I cannot overstate the emotional impact of this on the world,” S Jaishankar stated.

During his interaction he also mentioned that the African Union joining the G20 under New Delhi’s presidency, saying that African countries think that India has a ‘conscience’.

“A second example was Ukraine…A third example would be during our G20. For many years in G20, the African Union wanted a seat. Every G20 would begin like this, on the first day of the G20, everybody tells the African Union not to worry, during this meeting and we’ll take care of you but at the end of the meeting when nothing happened, they say, sorry this time we couldn’t do, next time we will look at it…We took up this cause and pushed it in a way that everybody had to accept it. The African countries do think that India has a conscience. India has a standing, India has a confidence today…” the External Affairs Minister said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar on Sunday said that artificial intelligence (AI) will be a profound factor for the world, after nuclear weapons.

Participating in the third edition of the Kautilya Economic Conclave, organised by the Institute of Economic Growth and the Finance Ministry, on its third and final day, S Jaishankar said that AI is going to be the next big thing and countries should be prepared to deal with its after-effects.

On AI, he further said that it is also going to become a profound factor in the global ecosystem. “AI will be as dangerous for the world as nuclear bombs once were,” he observed.

Minister S Jaishankar also said that demographics, connectivity, and AI will change the global order.

“Globalisation can be weaponised in the next decade and the world must be cautious about it. Many people around the world blame it for the large number of job losses and other negative effects of the revolution. This issue will remain as long as there is change (globalisation),” he said, noting that the social and political reaction to globalisation has gained momentum in the last decade.

The realities of globalisation inevitably collide with protectionism, he said.

The External Affairs Minister also said that in today’s era, the role of the United Nations has become only that of a spectator. Drawing a comparison with the business world, he said that the United Nations is an old business, which is taking up a lot of space, but is not changing according to the world.

On the ongoing Middle East conflict, he said that today the fight is taking place only for economic corridors, land and sea, but in the future, there will be fights over climate change also. He further highlighted that the Global South is feeling the impacts of these geopolitical tensions more acutely than others, raising concerns about the region’s stability.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The SAARC is “not moving forward” and meetings of the regional grouping have not happened in the last few years as one of its members is practising “cross-border terrorism”, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday.

The EAM’s remarks on the stalling of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), without naming any country, comes ahead of his scheduled visit to Pakistan mid-October to attend a key meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Islamabad.

The SAARC has not been very effective since 2016 as its biennial summits have not taken place since the last one at Kathmandu in 2014.

“At the moment, SAARC is not moving forward. We have not had a meeting of SAARC for a very simple reason, there is one member of SAARC who is practising cross-border terrorism, at least against one more member of SAARC, maybe more,” Jaishankar said in response to a query on revival of the grouping at an event here.

“If you are all sitting together and cooperating, and at the same time this kind of terrorism goes on… it actually poses a challenge for us that do you ignore it and go ahead, and in which case you are normalising it, you are accepting it that this is a legitimate tool of statecraft,” he added.

The EAM said at some point if time, “we came to the decision that we should not do it”.

The SAARC is a regional bloc comprising India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

“Terrorism is something which is unacceptable and despite a global view of it, if one of our neighbours continues to do it, then there must be a pause to it… it cannot be business as usual in SAARC. That’s the reason why the SAARC meeting has not happened in recent years,” the minister said.

He said this during an interaction after delivering the Sardar Patel Lecture on Governance organised by IC Centre for Governance here.

But, because SAARC meetings have not happened, does not mean the regional activities have stopped, he said.

“In fact, I would argue that in the last five-six years, we have seen far more regional integration in the Indian subcontinent than we have seen since the partition of India,” the minister said.

“If you look today with Bangladesh, with Nepal, with Bhutan, with Myanmar, with Sri Lanka… you have railway lines being restored, roads being rebuilt, electricity grids being built… you have ferries, you have fertiliser supplies… and then medical visas. So, I would actually say that what is happening in the neighbourhood, it is happening because we are espousing this policy called ‘Neighbourhood First’,” he said.

Earlier delivering the lecture, he also spoke of the political scenario during Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s era.

“During the end of the Sardar’s life, India and China were both re-emerging in the global order as modern nation states. The complexities of their relationship were just beginning to be visible,” Jaishankar said in his address.

Today, “our ties are again at cross-roads”. The present situation does not serve the interests of either nation, he said, referring to the lingering border row in eastern Ladakh.

“There is a way forward. And that is by reinstating peace and tranquility in the border areas, respecting the LAC and not seeking to change the status quo. Beyond that, the three mutuals — mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interests –” offer a credible pathway. After all, the rise of Asia can only happen when India and China have a positive dynamic,” he said.

Praising Patel and recalling his legacy, Jaishankar said the nationalist leader was dealing with the enormous challenge of reconstructing India after two centuries of colonialism.

“But we must not forget that he was doing so at a time when the international order was being reshaped after the Second World War, and as decolonialisation just began. Reading the big picture right and making our calculations was not easy,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The political churn in Bangladesh is that country’s “internal matter” but India is keen to continue what was a stable relationship, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told NDTV Tuesday afternoon, underlining the maxim that neighbouring nations are “dependent on each other”.

In a wide-ranging interview Mr Jaishankar touched on Russia’s war on Ukraine and Delhi’s potential peacemaker role in that conflict, as well as Iran leader Ayatollah Khamenei’s remark, the war in Gaza, and a flurry of foreign visits in the first 100 days of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third term.

“What happens is their internal matter. Bangladesh is our neighbour and the relationship, on our part, is something we want to keep stable. We have good trade… our people-to-people ties are good… I want to keep the relationship that way,” Mr Jaishankar said on the Bangladesh crisis.

Bangladesh battled civil unrest and violence last month – the result of a student-led movement against quota in government jobs – that forced then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign. Ms Hasina fled Dhaka in a military aircraft to land at an Air Force base near Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad.

She was expected to proceed to London to claim political asylum but British Home Office sources told NDTV its rules do not allow people to travel to that country to seek asylum or temporary refuge.

READ | What Are Ex Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina’s Plans? India Says…

For now, Ms Hasina is believed to be in the custody of Indian intelligence agencies.

Last month Mr Jaishankar told Parliament Ms Hasina’s office had requested permission to flee Dhaka for Delhi “at very short notice”. At an all-party briefing he said the Indian government was prepared to give Ms Hasina time to decide on her next steps, which could include political retirement.

READ | Want Good Ties With India But On Basis Of “Equality”: Md Yunus

Last week Nobel laureate Md Yunus – who leads an interim government – said his country too wants to maintain its previous good relationship with India, but that these ties should reflect “fairness and equality”. Mr Yunus said he had received a congratulatory phone call from Prime Minister Modi.

“We want the world to recognise Bangladesh as a respected democracy,” the 84-year-old, who opted for a ‘Chief Advisor’ title rather than ‘Prime Minister’, said in his first address to his nation.

READ | “Stay Silent In India Till…”: Md Yunus’ Message To Sheikh Hasina

For Ms Hasina, the Chief Advisor had stern warning, demanding she must remain silent to prevent compromising the two countries’ relationship till her extradition is sought. “If India wants to keep her till Bangladesh wants her back, the condition would be that she has to keep quiet,” he said.

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