NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday expressed his displeasure with the Western media 's coverage of the Indian elections, accusing them of portraying the process in a negative light.
Speaking at an interaction after the launch of the Bangla edition of his book 'Why Bharat Matters' in Kolkata on Tuesday, Jaishankar said that the Western countries, having influenced the world for centuries, find it difficult to relinquish their old habits and accept an India that does not conform to their expectations.
"They (Western countries) do want to influence us because many of these countries feel that they have influenced this world for the last 70-80 years...Western countries actually feel that they influenced the world for the last 200 years. How do you expect someone who has been in that position to give up those old habits so easily," the EAM said at the event.
According to Jaishankar, the Western media favours a specific class of people to govern India and becomes unsettled when the Indian electorate holds a different opinion. He pointed out that some Western media outlets openly endorse candidates and political parties, demonstrating their bias. The minister referred to this as a "mind game" and criticized countries that require court intervention to determine election results for lecturing India on conducting polls.
"Why these newspapers are so negative on India? Because they are seeing an India which is not in a sense compliant with their image of how India should be. They want people, ideology, or a way of life...they want that class of people to rule this country, and they are disturbed when the Indian population feels otherwise," Jaishankar said.
Jaishankar also commended the high voter turnout in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections , despite the extreme heat. He mentioned an article questioning the timing of the Indian election during the heatwave and remarked that even in such conditions, India's lowest turnout surpasses the highest turnout in the best-run Western elections.
The Lok Sabha Elections 2024 are being conducted in seven phases, with the counting of votes scheduled for June 4. The first four phases have already taken place, while the remaining phases are set to occur on May 20, May 25, and June 1.
Speaking at an interaction after the launch of the Bangla edition of his book 'Why Bharat Matters' in Kolkata on Tuesday, Jaishankar said that the Western countries, having influenced the world for centuries, find it difficult to relinquish their old habits and accept an India that does not conform to their expectations.
"They (Western countries) do want to influence us because many of these countries feel that they have influenced this world for the last 70-80 years...Western countries actually feel that they influenced the world for the last 200 years. How do you expect someone who has been in that position to give up those old habits so easily," the EAM said at the event.
According to Jaishankar, the Western media favours a specific class of people to govern India and becomes unsettled when the Indian electorate holds a different opinion. He pointed out that some Western media outlets openly endorse candidates and political parties, demonstrating their bias. The minister referred to this as a "mind game" and criticized countries that require court intervention to determine election results for lecturing India on conducting polls.
"Why these newspapers are so negative on India? Because they are seeing an India which is not in a sense compliant with their image of how India should be. They want people, ideology, or a way of life...they want that class of people to rule this country, and they are disturbed when the Indian population feels otherwise," Jaishankar said.
Jaishankar also commended the high voter turnout in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections , despite the extreme heat. He mentioned an article questioning the timing of the Indian election during the heatwave and remarked that even in such conditions, India's lowest turnout surpasses the highest turnout in the best-run Western elections.
The Lok Sabha Elections 2024 are being conducted in seven phases, with the counting of votes scheduled for June 4. The first four phases have already taken place, while the remaining phases are set to occur on May 20, May 25, and June 1.
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