'Indira Gandhi Went To Shimla To Meet Bhutto': EAM S Jaishankar On Congress Criticism Over Talks With Rubio In Mumbai

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Thursday said that he has "failed" to understand the reasons behind opposition parties' criticism of India hosting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Mumbai. He also listed past instances when leaders have met foreign leaders outside Delhi.

"I didn't get that. They don't like Mumbai? I mean, they have something against Mumbai? I think it is a great city, it is our financial capital. It is our Bollywood capital. It has got so much going for it. Maybe Mumbai doesn't like them... I have no idea why they have this reservation," said EAM Jaishankar while speaking at the NDTV World Summit.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had last week taken a swipe at the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Rubio's meeting EAM Jaishankar in Mumbai, terming it as "summoning".

EAM Jaishankar then went on to list a few examples when India has hosted visiting foreign leaders outside Delhi.

"If going out of Delhi to meet a foreign leader or a foreign counterpart is summoning, I can give you a lot of examples. Mrs (Indira) Gandhi went to Shimla to meet Bhutto. Was she summoned? Salman Khurshid went to Jaipur to meet a Pakistan PM. Was he summoned?" he asked.

"We are adults, let's have an adult conversation. Let's leave, you know," said EAM Jaishankar amid a round of applause from the gathering at the venue.

EAM Jaishankar hosted counterparts from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United States in Mumbai on October 19-20 and also attended the celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the independence of the US as a Guest of Honour.

Last week, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had also dismissed any criticism about the choice of Mumbai as a venue for EAM Jaishankar's bilateral engagements.

"It has been the practice for the last decade or so that we have hosted foreign dignitaries outside Delhi. To just give you some examples, Prime Minister hosted the Prime Minister of Spain in Baroda. He hosted Chancellor Merz in Ahmedabad. Prime Minister of Mauritius was hosted by him in Varanasi, and the External Affairs Minister hosted the SCO Foreign Ministers Meeting in Goa. He hosted the Foreign Minister of Botswana in Kevadia in Gujarat, and the External Affairs Minister also hosted the Heart of Asia Conference in Amritsar. So, that was just to give you a few examples of the meetings of leaders, of dignitaries that have happened outside of Delhi," stated MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal during a bi-weekly media briefing in New Delhi on Friday.

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