‘Defending national interests, not arrogance,’ Jaishankar says of Rahul Gandhi’s remarks about the IFS

*Paromita Das

External Minister S Jaishankar responded to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks about “complete change” in the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) by saying that the change is called “confidence and defending national interest,” not “arrogance.”

The remarks came after Rahul Gandhi said at a London event that bureaucrats in Europe told him that the IFS has changed and the officers are “arrogant.” In a tweet, Jaishankar stated that IFS officers follow government orders and protect national interests while countering the arguments of others.
“The Indian Foreign Service has evolved. Yes, they obey the government’s orders. Yes, they refute others’ arguments. It’s not called Arrogance for nothing. It’s called self-assurance. And it’s known as defending national interests.” “according to Jaishankar.

He also included a video of Rahul Gandhi’s remarks. Gandhi stated at the ‘Ideas for India’ conference in London that he had been told that IFS officers do not listen to anything and simply follow orders from the government with no conversation.
“I was speaking with some European bureaucrats who said that the Indian Foreign Service has completely changed and that they don’t listen to anything because they are arrogant. They’re only telling us what orders they’re getting now; there’s no conversation; you can’t do that.” “Rahul Gandhi stated

Randeep Singh Surjewala, the party’s general secretary, responded to Jaishankar’s comments on Gandhi’s tweet by saying there had been foreign policy gaffes. Yes, it is also known as being subservient to political masters in the face of foreign policy gaffes.” Yes, it is referred to as being unable to confront China in the face of its illegal occupation of our territory. Yes, it is called furthering a party’s agenda rather than the agenda of the nation,” Surjewala said in a tweet.

Rahul Gandhi also accused the Center of promoting “massive concentration of power and capital” in his remarks at the London event. “I believe it is extremely dangerous for one company to control all airports, ports, and infrastructure.” It has never existed in this form (private sector monopoly). There has never been such a massive concentration of power and capital. According to Rahul Gandhi, the Congress believes that “every Indian should be given the same opportunities.”

“The task for the opposition is to provide the people of India with a new vision, an economic vision.” At the national level, Congress controls ideology. Congress is a structure that allows opposition to exist.

“The ideological battle is between the RSS’s national vision and Congress’s national vision,” he explained.