External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that democracy is often treated as a Western characteristic and gestured with his index finger with a mark while responding to a question about the global threat to democracy. He recently voted in assembly elections in Delhi.
Jaishankar expressed confidence in India’s electoral system and said, “For us, democracy has actually delivered.”
He was speaking during a panel discussion on ‘Live to Vote Another Day: Fortifying Democratic Resilience’ at the Munich Security Conference, alongside Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, US Senator Elissa Slotkin, and Warsaw Mayor Rafa? Trzaskowski.
During the discussion, Jaishankar said, “I think I appear to be an optimist in what is a relatively 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 mark on my nail is from voting. We just had an election in my state (Delhi). Last year, we had a national election. In Indian elections, roughly two-thirds of eligible voters participate. In the national elections, out of an electorate of about 900 million, around 700 million voted. We count the votes in a single day.”
Jaishankar also stated that “nobody disputes” the election results once they are announced.
Responding to concerns about democracy being in global trouble, Jaishankar said India continues to vote in high numbers and remains optimistic about the direction of its democracy. “For us, democracy has actually delivered,” he reiterated.
Jaishankar also countered Senator Slotkin’s remark that democracy “doesn’t put food on your table.”
“In my part of the world, it does. As a democratic society, we provide food and nutrition support to 800 million people, directly impacting their health and well-being. Different parts of the world have different conversations, so please don’t assume this is a universal reality,” he said.
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