Noting that the human rights issue was not discussed during his meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Wednesday made a veiled reference to the former’s remarks at a joint presser and said India was entitled “to have views about their (US) views and the interests and the lobbies and the vote banks which drive that”.
Answering a query about Blinken’s remarks at the joint press conference after the 2+2 dialogue on Monday, Jaishankar said India also takes a view on other people’s human rights situation, including that of the United States and raises matters concerning the Indian community. Jaishankar, who addressed a press conference here, also said that the human rights issue has come up in the past.
“No, we did not discuss human rights during this meeting (2+2). This meeting was primarily focused on political and military affairs.”
“It (human rights) is a subject which has come up in the past. It came up when Secretary Blinken came to India, and I think if you recall the press briefings after that, I was very open about the fact that we had discussed it and said what I had to say,” Jaishankar said.
“People are entitled to have views about us, but we are also equally entitled to have views about their views and the interests and the lobbies and the vote banks which drive that,” he added.
He said India takes up human rights issues with the US, especially if they pertain to the Indian community.
“We also take views on other people’s human rights situation, including that of the United States, so we take up human rights issues when they arise in this country
Noting that the human rights issue was not discussed during his meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Wednesday made a veiled reference to the former’s remarks at a joint presser and said India was entitled “to have views about their (US) views and the interests and the lobbies and the vote banks which drive that”.
Answering a query about Blinken’s remarks at the joint press conference after the 2+2 dialogue on Monday, Jaishankar said India also takes a view on other people’s human rights situation, including that of the United States and raises matters concerning the Indian community. Jaishankar, who addressed a press conference here, also said that the human rights issue has come up in the past.
“No, we did not discuss human rights during this meeting (2+2). This meeting was primarily focused on political and military affairs.”
“It (human rights) is a subject which has come up in the past. It came up when Secretary Blinken came to India, and I think if you recall the press briefings after that, I was very open about the fact that we had discussed it and said what I had to say,” Jaishankar said.
“People are entitled to have views about us, but we are also equally entitled to have views about their views and the interests and the lobbies and the vote banks which drive that,” he added.
He said India takes up human rights issues with the US, especially if they pertain to the Indian community.
“We also take views on other people’s human rights situation, including that of the United States, so we take up human rights issues when they arise in this country
(the US), especially when it pertains to our community,” Jaishankar said.
Two Sikh men were attacked in the New York borough of Queens on Tuesday, less than two weeks after another Sikh man was assaulted in the same neighbourhood, authorities said. Jaishankar was addressing a press briefing on his interactions with Blinken and US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. India’s Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu was also present at the press conference. Blinken had said at the joint press conference after the 2+2 dialogue on Monday that India and the US share a commitment to democratic values, such as protecting human rights. “We regularly engage with our Indian partners on these shared values and to that end, we are monitoring some recent concerning developments in India including a rise in human rights abuses by some government, police and prison officials,” he had said. Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh took part in the fourth India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in Washington.
Earlier on Tuesday (local time), recognising the transformation in India-US relations, External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S. Jaishankar has said that the Indian diaspora has defined India’s image in US society. EAM Jaishankar was speaking on US-India relations during an event at the Howard University for India-US Education Collaboration. He said, “For our ties to grow, it is equally necessary that there is a better understanding of India and the world on the part of young Americans. Your appreciation of a civilisational state and a fellow democratic polity that is daily overcoming enormous odds is essential.”
EAM Jaishankar on Tuesday (local time) said that a key driver in this change has been the human element which includes 4.4 million Indian diaspora that has defined India’s image in US society. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also delivered his remarks and participated in a conversation with students, faculty, and leadership of Howard University. Blinken and Jaishankar interacted with Indian students, scholars, and researchers who have worked in the United States, and US students, scholars, and researchers who have studied, worked, or conducted research at an Indian higher education institution.
“Howard University is not just a part of a shared past. It is very much part of the future that awaits us. As we contemplate that, a big part and role in that will be played by the relationship between the two countries and that relationship has undergone a real transformation in the last two decades whether it is our strategic or security cooperation or our economy or technology partnership, it is making its weight felt increasingly in world affairs,” Jaishankar said in the presence of Blinken.
The minister noted that a key driver in this change has been the human element. “The 4.4 million Indian diaspora has literally defined our image in this society and helped forge relationships that are an enormous source of strength for us,” he said. “At its centre are students, academics, and professionals who have contributed to America’s progress even as they remained a bridge between the two societies,” he added.
Speaking about the India-US connect, the EAM said that the most powerful symbol of the ties is the inspirational bond between Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Martin Luther King Junior. “That bond was forged through the relationship with Howard Thurman, the dean of the chapel and later by Dr William Stuart Nelson who was the dean of the school of the religion,” he added. For India-US ties to grow, Jaishankar said that it is necessary that there is a better understanding of India and the world, on the part of young Americans. This event was seen as an opportunity to build off Monday’s announcement during the 2+2 Ministerial of the formation of a “Working Group on Education and Skill Training”.
Highlighting the “deeper academic” ties between the United States and India, Blinken said that the partnership is absolutely crucial and pertinent for addressing the problems of the 21st century. Blinken said that at least 200,000 Indian students are studying in US universities. “US-India strategic partnership, I’m convinced, is absolutely crucial, essential for addressing the problems of the 21st century and your work is at the heart of that relationship,” he said while interacting with students, and faculty during the event.
The US Secretary of State also said that this institute has a history of building bonds between India and the US. “We are incredibly fortunate that the US has 200,000 Indian students studying in our universities enriching our campuses and fellow citizens and we see many American students studying and working in India through programs like Fulbright or the Gilman fellowships,” Blinken said.
Referring to Howard Thurman, who was a civil rights leader and American author, Blinken said that Thurman had met Mahatma Gandhi. “He (the author) mentioned Gandhian non-violence views in his book,” the US Secretary of State said.
Emphasizing the importance of India-US ties in expanding the partnership, the Secretary of State said a working group has been formed for the people of both the countries to facilitate learning. “To make it easier for people—a working group on education and skill training on the academic institution in the US and India together will develop a new joint research programme,” he said. “The group’s focus is a lot on creating more opportunities for universities, partners…so that more of our people can learn alongside each other,” he added. “You can be developing recommendations on how India and the US can support each other on clean energy, this way you are promoting trade between our countries,” Blinken said addressing students, faculty and leadership of Howard University in Washington.