‘Need not be so thin-skinned’, Shashi Tharoor urges Jaishankar to ‘cool a little bit’

ANI

New Delhi, April 3

Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday urged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to “cool a little bit” after the latter’s remark about the West’s “bad habit” of commenting on other countries.

“I have known him for a long time and consider him as a friend but on this issue I think we need not be so thin-skinned, I think it’s very important that as a government we take something in stride. If we react to every comment, we are doing ourselves a disservice. I will strongly urge my friend Jai to cool a little bit” said Tharoor.

On Sunday, during an interaction in Bengaluru, the foreign minister had said “the West thinks it has a God-given right to comment on internal matters of other countries.” Jaishankar made the above remarks during a Sunday morning ‘Meet and Greet’ interaction organised by Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya and Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan with over 500 young voters, joggers and visitors at Cubbon Park.

The Foreign Minister was responding to a question on remarks by Germany and the United States on the disqualification of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as a Member of Parliament.

“I will give you the truthful answer (on why we see West commenting on India). There are two reasons. It is because the West has a bad habit of commenting on others. They somehow think it is some kind of God-given right. They will have to learn only by experience that if they keep doing this, other people will also start commenting and they will not like it when it happens. And I see that happening,” Jaishankar said.

He added, “The second part of the truth – In our arguments, you are inviting the people to comment on you. Then more and more people are tempted to comment. We also need to stop giving generous invitations to the world saying there are problems in India, and (urging) America and the world (by saying), why are you standing by doing nothing? So if somebody from here goes and says why are you standing by and saying nothing, then obviously they are going to comment. Part of the problem is them, and part of the problem is us. And I think both need fixing.”