You should choose your friends wisely. But you should choose your enemies even more wisely. Rahul Gandhi may just have realised this with his unsuccessful attempt to take on Dr S. Jaishankar, a master diplomat.
Dr S. Jaishankar has had a great track record in schooling his critics. He has schooled the Western media, Western lawmakers and Western Foreign Ministers. Now, he has schooled a politician. Guess who? Well, Rahul Gandhi. Let’s begin.
Read more: Rahul Gandhi is not to be blamed!
Rahul Gandhi makes a big mistake
To start with, Rahul Gandhi made a big mistake. He made some rather condescending remarks about the Indian Foreign Service during the ‘Ideas for India’ conference.
Gandhi said, “I was talking to some bureaucrats from Europe and they were saying that the Indian foreign service completely changed, they do not listen to anything. They are arrogant… There is no conversation.”
Dr Jaishankar’s powerful retort
Rahul Gandhi didn’t directly name Dr S. Jaishankar. Yet, he is the country’s top diplomat. Therefore, Gandhi’s remarks indirectly criticised Jaishankar’s leadership of Indian diplomacy. This is, of course, unfair criticism given the several achievements of the Modi government in international relations both before and after Dr Jaishankar’s appointment as the country’s Foreign Minister.
Now, Dr Jaishankar isn’t someone who would let such unfair criticism get through. In a sharp retort, he tweeted, “Yes, the Indian Foreign Service has changed. Yes, they follow the orders of the Government. Yes, they counter the arguments of others. No, its not called Arrogance. It is called Confidence. And it is called defending National Interest.”
Yes, the Indian Foreign Service has changed.
Yes, they follow the orders of the Government.
Yes, they counter the arguments of others.
No, its not called Arrogance.
It is called Confidence.
And it is called defending National Interest. pic.twitter.com/eYynoKZDoW
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (Modi Ka Parivar) (@DrSJaishankar) May 21, 2022
Dr Jaishankar has explained the position pretty well. There is nothing more that we can actually add to it. Meanwhile, Gandhi faces sharp criticism for his absurd remarks. Union Minister Gajendra Shekhawat said, “Rahul Gandhi’s anti-India stance each time he opens his mouth in a foreign land is deplorable. This dynast now has issues that diplomats work for a democratically elected govt.”
Taking on the wrong person with a wrong argument
Now, we don’t know if a European bureaucrat actually told Rahul Gandhi that the Indian Foreign Service has become “arrogant”. It is quite unlikely that a bureaucrat would make such crude remarks.
Even if a European bureaucrat did say this to Rahul Gandhi, it was highly unprofessional on his part.
Anyhow, it is quite natural for Europeans to say that the Indian Foreign Service doesn’t listen to them. The Europeans and the entire Western world have been trying to dictate terms to India, especially in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war. Yet, India has taken a firm stance about pursuing a foreign policy driven by its national interest. This isn’t shabby diplomacy, rather this is brave and purposeful diplomacy. Indian diplomats are doing what needs to be done.
And as far as not listening to anything is concerned, it is again quite clear that the Indian Foreign Service is supposed to listen only to the Indian government. It is an Indian civil service and the Europeans really have no right to decide how it should work.
Rahul Gandhi, therefore, tried to condemn the Modi government with a wrong argument. To make matters worse, he messed with the wrong person. If you don’t have facts to back your claims, you simply cannot take on a career diplomat like Dr S. Jaishankar.
Read more: Social media reactions suggest that Dr S Jaishankar is now a darling of the masses
Rahul Gandhi therefore just got schooled by India’s highly respected External Affairs Minister in a clearly embarrassing manner.
