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In defence of an Old, Opinionated, Rich man
Dear Foreign Minister, Shri Jaishankar
Saw your comments expressed at Sydney on the views expressed by George Soros at Munich about Indian government. Sorry minister but I see it differently.
It is not just Soros, so many reputed western international agencies (V-Dem, Sweden, Freedom House USA, EU, RSB, France, USCIRF) have downgraded India in democracy & freedoms, in their well-researched & transparently prepared reports. You have a choice to brush them aside as biased views or counter their findings with data & logic. Soros is as much entitled to his opinion as you are to yours, as citizen of the planet earth in 21st century.
I am sure, Soros is also worried of what Trump did after losing the US presidential election, a matter under sub-judice. However, are the institutions (judiciary, media, Academic institutions, enforcement agencies) in India as robust as those in USA to take care of these jokers? What is happening to India’s institutions is also a matter of opinion. How money power & ED power was used to topple governments in Karnataka, MP & Maharashtra will not be discussed in any court but that does not make it any less serious. No Chief justice of India wants to touch that hot potato called AEB-Anonymous Electoral Bonds, the unique Indian system invested to legalise crony capitalism.
In a democracy, one must respect people’s mandate but that does not deprive anyone (even a foreigner) the right to raise legitimate questions. Notwithstanding all conspiracy theories, Soros (or his empire) does not benefit by spoiling his relationship with the government of a large growing power. A man who has donated more of his wealth than any other person in the world is not likely to be selfish. Coming from a holocaust family, he is not likely to be a racist, supremist. At his age, he is not likely to be impulsive. So, you have a choice to ignore him or introspect. You have called him old & opinionated! This reminds me of your father whom I respected greatly. Late KS wrote in 2002 after Gujarat riots “The administrators who failed to protect the innocent citizens are guilty of adharma and if Rama had been alive, he would have used his bow against the ‘asura’ rulers of Gujarat.” Was he also old & opinionated?
If whole of the western world is conspiring against India, it is a serious failure of our foreign policy. The authoritarian regimes like China, Russia will never question us because they have no love for our democracy & freedoms.
If the mandate of people is taken as the ultimate test of right & wrong, Hitler’s barbarism too can be justified. Putin gets 77% votes in Russian election. Xi is becoming a cult in China. Of course, India is very different than these extreme examples (no comparison at all), still the concern remains only on the direction it has taken. We know how Pakistan ruined itself with a combination of poor democracy, religious fanaticism & hyper-nationalism.
As a highly educated Minister, a rare in Indian politics, coming from a distinguished family, we intellectuals have different expectations from you. I know, you have a tough assignment.
Ref article:
https://theprint.in/world/old-rich-and-dangerous-jaishankar-takes-on-george-soros/1381029/
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