'India unique country with a very open society': Jaishankar rejects Biden's 'xenophobic' remarks

NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar pushed back against recent assertions made by US President Joe Biden characterizing India as "xenophobic," highlighting India's history of openness and inclusivity towards people from various backgrounds.
Refuting the claims during a discussion at the ET Roundtable, Jaishankar said, "First of all, our economy is not faltering, India is always..India is always… India has been a very unique country… I would say actually, in the history of the world, that it's been a society which has been very open… different people from different societies come to India."
He pointed to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) as evidence of India's commitment to providing refuge to those in need. He said, "That's why we have the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act), which is to open up doors for people who are in trouble... I think we should be open to people who have the need to come to India, who have a claim to come to India."
Addressing criticisms of the CAA, Jaishankar challenged allegations that it would result in the loss of citizenship for Muslims, asserting that such claims were unfounded.
Jaishankar’s remarks came in response to Biden’s statement, suggesting that countries like India, China, Japan, and Russia would benefit economically from embracing immigration, contrasting them with the US, which he argued thrives due to its openness to immigrants.
Jaishankar also commented on the biased coverage of events, particularly regarding India, by a section of the Western media. He described this as "ideological" and suggested that their reporting lacked objectivity, aiming to shape the global narrative rather than provide impartial coverage.
Regarding India's ranking on press freedom indices, Jaishankar dismissed it as a political maneuver aimed at tarnishing India's image. He cited protests in American universities over the Gaza conflict as evidence of hypocrisy in Western critiques of India's handling of public demonstrations.
“We got a lot of lectures about how to deal with the public every time there’s an agitation in India. I invite you to see the television pictures today on the screen. So, I mean, to me, to put it very mildly, what they preach, what they practice, what is their agenda, what is their objectivity, or lack of it? I think those are the realities. So, you might say this is public organisation or some think tank giving a report. It’s politics by other means. So, I recognise it and I will call it out”, Jaishankar said of the protests.
Responding to reports implicating India in targeted killings in Pakistan, Jaishankar attributed such incidents to the presence of terrorist elements in the region, rather than state-sponsored actions.
Reflecting on PM Modi's leadership, Jaishankar described him as a transformative figure, whose vision prompted Jaishankar's transition from a diplomatic career to politics.