Rising Bharat Summit 2024: Modi ki guarantee works abroad as much as it works in India, says Jaishankar

"As people's basic necessity is met, there is a new thought pervading the middle-class. People today know that water, electricity, health needs will be provided," he said.

On G20

Jaishankar said the initial concern was that how will the G20 event be conducted out of Delhi. "But then the entire country owned the G20. We ran G20 like an Andolan," the External Affairs Minister said. He said the G20 presidency had a flair. "People did not expect us to succeed. In the Indonesian presidency every meeting was blocked. But India took a less defensive strategy," said Jaishankar.

On CAA

Jaishankar said the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is an "issue of correcting a situation in our history". "It is to be just and fair for those who were caught on the wrong side of history when Partition happened. These are stateless people who are stateless for no fault of theirs. We are righting a wrong that was done in the past," said the External Affairs Minister.

On BJP's southern push

According to him, there is a greater confidence regarding the BJP's electoral prospects with regard to South India. "Look at the response the PM is getting in southern states. My sense is political opinions in those states are changing as they have seen the benefits of good governance by the BJP government -- free food schemes, jal jeevan mission, etc," he said.

Jaishankar said the sense of Indians as a nation is also changing. "I would say people are taking more interest in foreign policy because there is a stronger sense of nation and the South of India is a part of it," he said.

On Nehru's foreign policy

Jaishankar said  not just companies but government policies should be audited too.  "In the earlier years it was a Nehruvian ideological buble where Nehru said we must be against US and a friend of China so everyone followed-- the vestiges of those continue," he said.

He said during  former Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's regime in the 1950s, the Indian government  alienated Americans on behalf of China.  "I am placing before the younger generation, historial situations where certain roads weren't taken, which were available. We need to get out of this cult worship that everything from 1946 were great years. And Nehru's foreign policy was impeccable and anyone in the government today should follow it," he said.

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