‘We Stayed True to Our Democratic Model Despite Challenges’: Jaishankar Hails India as a Democracy- wna24

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar hailed India’s democratic resilience and emphasized that India’s democracy has delivered during a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. Expressing optimism about India’s electoral process, he stated, “For us, democracy has actually delivered.”

The panel discussion, named “Live to Vote Another Day: Fortifying Democratic Resilience,” included Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin, and Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski.

During the discussion, Jaishankar held up his index finger to highlight the ink mark from his recent vote, saying, “I appear to be an optimist in what is otherwise a relatively pessimistic panel, if not room. I will begin by holding up my finger, and don’t take it badly, it is the index finger. This mark on my nail is from voting. We just had an election in my state. Last year, we had a national election. In Indian elections, roughly two-thirds of eligible voters participate. At the national level, with an electorate of about 900 million, roughly 700 million people voted. We count the votes in a single day.”

Jaishankar criticized the West for treating democracy as an exclusively Western characteristic

“There was a time, and I say this in all honesty, when the West considered democracy to be a purely Western trait while simultaneously supporting non-democratic forces in the Global South. It still does. In many cases, I can point to very recent examples where everything the West claims to value at home is not practiced abroad. The Global South observes these contradictions, assessing both the successes and failures of different democratic models”, he said.

He stressed India’s historical commitment to democracy, despite challenges, “India has historically been an open society, deeply connected with the world. Despite all the challenges we have faced, even with a low-income economy, we have remained true to the democratic model. When you look at our region, we are pretty much the only country that has consistently done so. If the West truly wants democracy to prevail globally, it must acknowledge successful models outside its own borders.”

Jaishankar took a jab at so-called global custodians of democracy, stating, “Self-appointed custodians, who have never fought an election and have nothing to do with democracy, feel entitled to tell the rest of the world what is right and wrong in a democracy. It is inevitable that such attitudes will be challenged.”

He also criticized Western interference in domestic politics, “Every country has its mainstream politics and its outliers. If I were to assess how much Europeans and Westerners engage with outliers in their own societies, if I were to compare that with what Western ambassadors do in India—if my ambassadors did even a fraction of that, you would all be up in arms. There are clear double standards here.”

Jaishankar emphasized that India’s election results are undisputed: “Nobody disputes the results after they are announced. Since we began voting in the modern era, voter participation has increased by 20%. So, when I hear claims that democracy is globally in crisis, I have to disagree. We are thriving. We are voting. We are optimistic about our democracy, and for us, democracy has actually delivered.”

Jaishankar responded to concerns about democracy’s impact on basic needs, saying, “Senator, you mentioned that democracy does not put food on the table. In my part of the world, it does. Because we are a democratic society, we provide nutrition support and food to 800 million people—ensuring they remain healthy and well-fed. Different parts of the world are having different conversations about democracy. Please do not assume that every country is experiencing the same issues—it is not a universal phenomenon.”