India's leadership, thought processes driven by people grounded, rooted in India: Jaishankar
Jaishankar said on Monday. Addressing an event, Jaishankar said that society in the country is «deeply democratised today» and a lot of its leadership and its thought processes are being driven by people and forces that are deeply Indian, grounded and rooted in India.
«If we have a situation where other parts of the world are trying to force-feed India into their constructs, then it is going to be difficult for them to really grasp what is happening in our country,» he said.
The external affairs minister also explained what building a "Bharat narrative" means.
«People sometimes see it as politics, sometimes they look at the word-play and think that this is some kind of linguistic message… I am not getting into the origins of the word or the history of the concept,» he said.
«It today has multiple symbolisms in different domains,» he said.
In terms of economics, Jaishankar said the narrative highlights an 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant India) and has «connotations of a certain resilience, a certain self-sufficiency, a contribution and a talent out there which is expressing itself».
«Developmentally today, when we speak about Bharat, it also implies a commitment about creating an inclusive, just and fair society where no one is left behind, and that is actually, in many ways, the true test of development,» he said.
