Washington DC: Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar issued a clarification on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s slogan “Abki Baar Trump Sarkaar” as India has a “non-partisan” approach towards foreign leaders.
Jaishankar who is currently on a three-day trip in Washington DC said that Modi used the slogan merely to what the US president had used to endear himself to the Indian American community during his presidential campaign.
He strongly refuted the notion that the Prime Minister used the phrase to endorse Trump’s candidature for his 2020 re-election campaign.
“No, he did not say that,” said the minister. “We have a very nonpartisan (approach to domestics US politics). So, our sort of approach to whatever happens in this country is their politics, not our politics,” Jaishankar said.
“I think, please, look very carefully at what the prime minister said. My recollection of what the prime minister said was that candidate Trump had used this (“Ab Ki Baar Trump Sarkaar”). So PM is talking about the past,” said Jaishankar, refuting the Opposition’s allegation that Modi was campaigning for Trump at the Houston rally.
“I don’t think we should, honestly, misinterpret what was said. I don’t think you’re doing a good service to anybody,” Jaishankar said in response to a question asked by Indian journalists at the Washington media address.
Prime Minister Modi on September 22 in Houston had said that we in India have connected well with Trump.
“I mean, he (Modi) was pretty clear what he was talking about”. He was saying, “this is what you said as a candidate, which showed that you were trying to, (connect with India and its people even as a candidate)”, Jaishankar said, urging the journalist to be accurate.
