'Things get under my skin': Jaishankar opens up on what irks him when India is demeaned

New Delhi, India

Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, while speaking about the March 19 violence that took place outside the Indian High Commission in London, said that “things do get under my skin” when India is demeaned and disrespected by the people.

S Jaishankar was invited to participate as a guest on the podcast “The Ranveer Show” where he discussed various issues related to the foreign policies of India and the current challenges for the country.

“I had actually landed from a plane, when I saw this man climbing up the Indian High Commission in London and was trying to pull down the flag… It got under my skin,” S Jaishankar said.

“When people try to score points… personal points I just shrug it. When ‘I’ gets pushed, and that I is not me, but 'India'… That sense that you are not given respect and people are condescending, some times ambush you…,” the foreign minister added.

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On March 19, the pro-Khalistani protesters had gathered outside the Indian High Commission in London and tried to vandalise the building and pulled down the national flag. The incident took place a day after a crackdown was launched by the Punjab Police against radical preacher Amritpal Singh.

Jaishankar had earlier stated that India cannot accept differential security standards. He had also slammed the UK for failing to meet the obligation of ensuring the security of the diplomats.

“On the flag and the security of the high commission, in this particular case in the UK – whenever any country sends an embassy anywhere abroad, it is the obligation of the receiving country to provide security for a diplomat to do his work. It is the obligation of the receiving country to ensure the embassy or the high commission or the consulate and their premises are respected. These obligations were not met,” Jaishankar had stated at an event in Bengaluru.

'Diplomacy is an art of detail'

Sharing a field note on diplomacy Jaishankar said, “Diplomacy is an art of detail. There are a lot of nuances like body language, dressing, how you hold your hand, etc. It depends on the person and national relationship. It depends on the situation of how we react with other diplomats.”

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Talking about the current challenges that India is facing, he said that the “world is a tough place.”

“The young people need to know it is all about making India. Our infrastructure needs to be strong for people to set up work here. At the end of the day, it is about creating new job opportunities. Our job is to market India. To make India a magnet for people to do business with us,” the foreign minister added.