‘Practice what you preach,’ Jaishankar sends a clear message to Joe Biden on multilateralism

Indo-US ties are going through a rough patch, solely due to the selfishness and ineptitude of the Biden administration. In his three months as the President of the United States of America, Joe Biden has shown an unparalleled ability to ruin American alliances and drive relations with strategic partners to the ground. India, however, is in no mood to tolerate the tantrums of Joe Biden. The United States under Biden cannot hoard millions of vaccines, block critical vaccine-related raw material supplies to India under a wartime law and then expect relations between the two countries to flourish.

As such, a stringent warning was given to the Biden administration by Indian Foreign Minister, Dr S. Jaishankar. Taking to Twitter on Saturday, Dr Jaishankar, using the opportunity to wish the global community on International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace, took a shot at the Biden administration for its indifference towards the suffering of millions of Indians.

Jaishankar said, “On International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace, let us reflect on its two central challenges. Multilateralism needs to be reformed to be credible. And it must be practiced, not just preached.”

The United States of America has been perhaps the biggest preacher of the virtues of multilateralism, and in pursuit of the principle, has forged multiple alliances across the world. Yet, the oldest democracy of the world loses its direction every four or eight years, depending upon when a new President is inaugurated. Even worse, when a Democrat like Joe Biden takes charge of the country, the relations of the United States with new allies like India fail to flourish at a scale on which they should ideally progress.

Read more: Joe Biden has failed India and he will pay for it

The same is currently happening. Joe Biden has infuriated the Modi government in India. Domestically, the Biden administration is under incredible pressure to lift the embargo placed on vaccine raw material exports – which has been decelerating India’s vaccine production capacity. Joe Biden is also being asked to export millions of hoarded AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines to India and other countries. Sensing the fury of the Indian government, Biden’s officials on Sunday attempted to cool down tempers and assure India that the United States will extend all possible assistance to it in order to fight the pandemic.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken took to Twitter on Sunday (IST) to say, “Our hearts go out to the Indian people in the midst of the horrific COVID-19 outbreak. We are working closely with our partners in the Indian government, and we will rapidly deploy additional support to the people of India and India’s health care heroes.”

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan also chipped in by saying, “The U.S. is deeply concerned by the severe COVID outbreak in India. We are working around the clock to deploy more supplies and support to our friends and partners in India as they bravely battle this pandemic. More very soon.”

Earlier, in a brazen show of indifference, the US State Department spokesperson Ned Price, when asked about whether the Biden administration would lift the export embargo on critical vaccine materials for India, said, “Number one, we have a special responsibility to the American people…It is not only in the US interest to see Americans vaccinated; but it is in the interest of the rest of the world to see Americans vaccinated.”

By taking on the United States on the issue of multilateralism and how it has been a mere preacher of the same, Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar has sent a clear message to the Biden administration – behave yourself. India has more friends around the world and much more goodwill than the United States right now, and should not be forced to use its diplomatic might only due to the foolishness of one madman pretending to be the President of the United States.