What You Value At Home, You Don’t Practice Abroad: Jaishankar Slams West's Hypocrisy On Democracy

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday took a swipe at the West and stated it treated democracy as a Western characteristic.

Speaking during a panel discussion on 'Live to Vote Another Day: Fortifying Democratic Resilience' at the Munich Security Conference, the External Affairs Minister highlighted India's democracy while differing in the view that democracy is in trouble globally. Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, US Senator Elissa Slotkin and Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowsk were also part of the panel.

On asking about views over Western democracy, he said, "Well before I do that, 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. We just had an election in my state just over. 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."

"Nobody disputes the result after it's announced and by the way, from the time we started voting in the modern era, 20 per cent of people more vote today than they did decades ago. So, the first message is that somehow democracy is in trouble globally, worldwide, I am sorry, I have to differ with it. I mean, right now, we are living well. We are voting well. We are optimistic about the direction of our democracy and for us democracy is actually delivered," he added.

Jaishankar emphasized that India is a democratic society that provides nutrition support to 800 million people. He acknowledged that while democracy functions well in some areas, there are places where it may not, but he cautioned against considering this a universal phenomenon.

External Affairs Minister Jaishankar stated, "Senator you said that democracy doesn't put food on your table. Actually, in my part of the world, it does because it actually, today because we are a democratic society, we give nutrition support, and food to 800 million people and for whom that is a matter of how healthy they are and how full their stomachs are. So, the point I want to make is look 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."

He further pointed out, "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 is not but I would argue that as to an extent as someone dispassionately viewing it, which was your question, there are some problems, a lot of it is a 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 today not all over the world but let's not make that universal."

In a post on X, Jaishankar shared, "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. This differs with the prevailing political pessimism. Spoke my mind on foreign interference."

Jaishankar highlighted that India chose a democratic model after independence because of its inherently consultative and pluralistic society. He remarked that democracy was once perceived as a Western characteristic, but now many nations in the Global South might find India's democratic experience more applicable to their own societies than that of the West.

When asked whether Global South nations still aspire to a democratic system, Jaishankar stated, "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.

Now, there was a time and I would have to say this in all honesty when the West treated democracy as a Western characteristic and was busy... non-democratic forces in the Global South, and it still does. I mean in many cases, I can point to some very recent ones where everything that you say 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."