‘In Modi’s India...': EAM Jaishankar speaks about handling western media

Union external affairs minister Jaishankar who was in Bengaluru on Sunday met the youngsters of the city at Cubbon Park along with MPs Tejasvi Surya and PC Mohan. The minister even interacted with Bengaluru’s youth and answered their questions at Cubbon Park.

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Taking one of the questions, Jaishankar answered how he handles western media and press conferences when he travels abroad. He said, “Taking questions from the foreign media is like playing sports. When you play sports, you do a lot of practice to perform so that you understand what’s coming in. Same when the press starts asking questions, my instinct figures out where it is coming from, and the answer is already framed in the mind.”

Jaishankar also said that being diplomatic while answering questions is considered a weakness. “If you are diplomatic and give ‘Jilebi’ type of answers, they consider you as a weak person in an important position. The answers are combative when I meet someone who does not come to seek information but wanting to push you with their ‘idea’. In Modi’s India, when someone pushes, you push them back,” said the minister.

Bengaluru South MP also lauded the youth’s interest in discussing the country’s foreign policy. “The enthusiasm among Bengaluru’s young to understand India’s standing in the world, our leadership role in G20 and PM Modi’s game changing foreign policy is impressive,” Tejaswi Surya said. On Saturday, Union minister Jaishankar attended an event by the Entrepreneurs Organizations in Bengaluru and spoke about prospects in the Indian startup ecosystem. He will head to Hubballi and Belagavi to attend more events in the poll bound state.