Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has asked External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to "cool a little bit" after his recent comments about the West's "bad habit" of commenting on other countries. Tharoor said that it was important for the government not to be too thin-skinned and to take criticism in stride, adding that reacting to every comment would be a disservice to India.
Jaishankar's comments on the West's "God-given right" to speak about other countries
Jaishankar's comments about the West's "bad habit" of commenting on other countries came during a 'Meet and Greet' interaction with young voters in Bengaluru. He said that the West had a "God-given right" to speak about the internal matters of other countries, but that this was not the case. He argued that if the West continued to comment on other countries, other people would start commenting on them, and they would not like it.
Jaishankar's response to comments about Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as an MP
Jaishankar's comments about the West's "God-given right" to comment on other countries came in response to remarks by Germany and the United States about the disqualification of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as a Member of Parliament. Jaishankar argued that in inviting others to comment on India's problems, India was partly responsible for the criticism it received. He suggested that both the West and India needed to address the problem of commenting on other countries' internal matters.
Tharoor's call for the government to take criticism in stride
Tharoor's comments on Jaishankar's remarks were aimed at encouraging the government to take criticism in stride. He argued that being too thin-skinned would do India a disservice, and that the government needed to learn to take criticism without overreacting. Tharoor's comments came amid concerns about India's image abroad and the impact of criticism on the country's international reputation.
