“Don’t take what they say in the foreign media at face value,” External Affairs minister S. Jaishankar told ANI’s editor-in-chief Smita Prakash in an interview on the launch of his book, ‘Why Bharat Matters’ Thursday, adding, “They are trying to push a certain line because they have a certain interest.”

Asked about articles in the foreign media about “assertive India” on the one hand and “democracy indicators sliding” on the other, Jaishankar said:

“Just look at it this way. There are people who apparently feel more confident of their support outside India than inside India… So, we have (had) this constant barrage (since) 2014, it increased in 2019 and I’m sure it will become very shrill as we lead up to the summer of 2024…(People) will constantly come at you and say you are less of a democracy. They’ll pick what they believe are flaws or failings that we have. Again, we must have the confidence to judge it. I’m not saying we are perfect; we have room for improvement.

He added: “But I would say please look at their motive and their agenda. They are not agenda-less, they are not motive-less. They are trying to push a certain line because they have a certain interest. Don’t take what they say in the foreign media at face value.”