External affairs minister S Jaishankar’s exchange with a journalist of Foreign Affairs at the Council of Foreign Relations went viral as the journalist asked the minister about reports that in recent times downgraded India’s democracy scores. Jaishankar said these reports are biased and his response has been very clear

The journalist referred to Jaishankar’s earlier response to the question of another journalist and said that his answer did not make it clear whether Jaishankar is concerned that these reports will come in the way of India in the global platform.”I thought you were supposed to ask me a question,” Jaishankar said as the journalist was speaking.

“Yes, I am asking you a question. You said, ‘It’s hypocrisy. We have self-appointed custodians of the world who find it difficult to stomach that someone in India is not looking for their approval, and isn’t willing to play the game they want to play. That doesn’t actually answer the journalist’s question. So I want to ask you again. Are you concerned that perceived democratic backslide in India is going to undermine the efforts to become a rising power in the world?” the journalist said.

“I think it answers the questions if you are objective enough to understand it. I think It says very clearly that people who are writing these reports have a strong bias, often they distort facts. many of these reports are riddled with inaccuracies. So I put it to you there is an ideological agenda. I don’t know why that’s hard to understand,” Jaishankar said.