Taking a dig at the Western countries for treating democracy as a "Western characteristic" Jaishankar accused them of not practising abroad what they valued at home.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar professed for a healthy democracy while speaking to a panel at the Munich Security Conference. Countering US Senator Elissa Slotkin's "Democracy doesn't put food on your table" remark during the discussion, Jaishankar said that "India gives nutrition support to 800 million people".
He also proudly showed his index finger which had the voter markings from the recent Delhi elections to the rest of the panel as he spoke about the percentage of ver turnouts in India.
Taking a dig at the Western countries for treating democracy as a "Western characteristic" Jaishankar accused them of not practising abroad what they valued at home.
Jaishankar made these remarks on Friday at a panel discussion titled "Live to Vote Another Day: Fortifying Democratic Resilience" at the Munich Security Conference.
Apart from Jaishankar, the panel comprised Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, US Senator Elissa Slotkin and Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowsk.
Jaishankar was asked about his thoughts on Western democracy to which he responded with, "if you do want democracy eventually to prevail, it's important the West also embraces successful models (democracy) outside the West."
“There was a time — I have to say this in all honesty — when the West treated democracy as a Western characteristic and was busy encouraging non-democratic forces in the Global South. It still does. Everything you value at home, you don’t practice abroad.”
"So, I do think the rest of the Global South will view the successes, shortcomings and the responses of other countries," he said.
He also said India, for "all the challenges that we have had, even at a low income, we have stayed true to the democratic model, which is almost if you look at our part of the world. We are pretty much the only country that has done that."
"So I think it's something the West should look at, because if you do want democracy eventually to prevail, it's important the West also embraces successful models outside the West," he said at the conference.
Senator Slotkin on the panel stated that democracy "doesn't put food on your table", to which Jaishankar countered saying that India gives nutrition support to 800 million people.
Jaishankar reportedly said, "Senator, you said that democracy doesn't put food on your table. Actually, in my part of the world, it (democracy) does. Today, since we are a democratic society, we give nutrition support, and food to 800 million people. That is a matter of how healthy they are and how full their stomachs are. So, the point I want to make is that different parts of the world are going through different conversations. Please do not assume that this is a kind of universal phenomenon, it is not."
"There are parts where it is working well. Maybe there are parts where it's not and the parts which are not. I think people need to have honest conversations about why it's not," the External Affairs Minister added.
"But I would argue that to an extent, as someone dispassionately viewing it, a lot of it is an accumulated problem of the model of globalisation that we have followed for the last 25-30 years. I think a lot of chickens have come home to roost. So, yes there are issues, but from our point of view, let's not make that universal," he said.
On being asked whether nations in the Global South still aspire to a democratic system and the model that would attract people, Jaishankar said, "Look, to an extent, all big countries are unique to an extent."
"But, we would certainly hope, I mean to the extent, we think of democracy as a universal aspiration, ideally a reality, but at least an aspiration, in large part because India chose a democratic model after independence and it chose a democratic model because we had fundamentally a consultative pluralistic society."
He also mentioned that he is "an optimist in what is relatively a pessimistic panel."
"I appeared to be an optimist in what is relatively a pessimistic panel if not room. I will begin by sticking up my finger and don't take it badly. It is the index finger. This, the mark you see on my nail, is a mark of a person who has just voted," he said.
"We just had an election in my state (Delhi). Last year, we had a national election. In Indian elections, roughly two-thirds of the eligible voters vote. At the national elections, the electorate of about 900 million, about 700 million voted. We count the votes in a single day," Jaishankar said.
"Started the #MSC2025 with a panel on ‘Live to Vote Another Day: Fortifying Democratic Resilience’. Joined PM @jonasgahrstore, @ElissaSlotkin and @trzaskowski_.
Highlighted India as a democracy that delivers. Differed with the prevailing political pessimism. Spoke my mind on foreign interference," he posted on X.