New Delhi:
A day after US President Joe Biden claimed that several countries, including India, are 'xenophobic' for not welcoming immigrants, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar today dismissed the comments.
Speaking to The Economic Times, Mr Jaishankar emphasized that India has always been open and welcoming to people from diverse societies.
The US President in his remarks also claimed that the Indian economy was faltering and not doing well while the US economy was growing. Mr. Jaishankar rejected President Biden's claims and made it clear: “First of all, our economy is not faltering.”
Mr Jaishankar's statement is based on the fact that India has been the fastest growing major economy in the world in recent years, and also became the fifth largest global economy last year. India is also poised to become the world's third largest economy before the end of this decade.
On May 2, President Biden had said: “You know, one of the reasons our economy is growing is because of you and many others. Why? Because we welcome immigrants. We look at the reason (behind this)… think about it Why is China so bad economically? Why does Japan have problems? Why is India? Why are they xenophobic?
The US president said this during his campaign for his re-election as US president at a fundraising event in Washington.
Responding to the 'xenophobia' claim, Mr Jaishankar said: 'India has always been a very unique country… I would actually say that in the history of the world it has been a society that has been very open… different people from different societies are coming to India.”
Mr. Jaishankar gave an example of the Citizenship Amendment Act, popularly called CAA, to make his point. He highlighted how the CAA, introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, showcases India's hospitable approach.
“That's why we have the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act), which should open doors to people who are in trouble… I think we should be open to people who have the need to come to India, who can claim it come to India,” said Jaishankar.
Mr. Jaishankar also spoke about the narrative created by a section of Western media and supported it with an example of the ongoing protests in American universities.
Mr Jaishankar spoke about the ongoing anti-Israel protests on US university campuses and criticized a section of the Western media for biased reporting, suggesting that the reporting is “highly ideological” and not at all “objective”. He said this section of the media wants to shape the global narrative and has also focused on India.
To curb the diplomatic fallout from President Biden's comments in which he called India, Japan and other countries “xenophobic,” the White House explained the president's intentions, stressing his “respect” for allies and partners emphasized.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre claimed the president's comments were part of a broader message emphasizing the strength that comes from America's immigrant heritage. She emphasized that Biden's focus remains on strengthening diplomatic relations with countries like India and Japan, which is evident from his actions over the past three years.
“Obviously we have a strong relationship with India, with Japan, and the president, if you just look at the last three years, has certainly focused on those diplomatic relationships,” she said.
(Input from ANI)