# S. Jaishankar

In this Indian name, the name Subrahmanyam is a patronym, and the person should be referred to by his given name, Jaishankar.
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (born 9 January 1955) is an Indian diplomat and politician serving as the Minister of External Affairs of the Government of India since 30 May 2019. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party and a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha since 5 July 2019. He previously served as the Foreign Secretary from January 2015 to January 2018.

## Quotes

* You used the dichotomy of democracy and autocracy. You want a truthful answer? It is hypocrisy. We have a set of self-appointed custodians of the world who find it very difficult to stomach that somebody in India is not looking for their approval, is not willing to play the game they want to play. So they invent their rules, their parameters, pass their judgments and make it look as if it is some kind of global exercise.
** On Freedom House downgrading India from "Free" to "Partly Free", as quoted in "‘Hypocrisy by Self-appointed Custodians of World’: Jaishankar Trashes US Think Tank’s Report on India". News18. 14 March 2021.
* "Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europe's problems are the world's problems, but the world's problems are not Europe's problems."
** S. Jaishankar made this statement to highlight the Eurocentric perspective that often dominates global discourse. He pointed out that while Europe expects the world to prioritize its issues—such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict—it does not show the same level of concern for challenges faced by other regions, including Asia. His remark was a response to the expectation that India should take a stronger stance on Ukraine to secure future support against China. Jaishankar rejected this transactional view, emphasizing that India's issues with China are independent of the Ukraine war and that global solidarity should not be one-sided.
*** Source: "Jaishankar's Europe remark echoes in German Chancellor's statement in Munich". The Hindu. 20 February 2023.
* We are not debating just a documentary or a speech that somebody gave in a European city or a newspaper edits somewhere -- we are debating, actually politics, which is being conducted ostensibly as media -- there is a phrase 'war by other means' this is politics by another means -- I mean you will do a hatchet job, you want to do a hatchet job and say this is just another quest for truth which we decided after 20 years to put at this time.
** On the BBC documentary India: The Modi Question, as quoted in "BBC documentary timing is not "accidental", it is "politics by another means," says Jaishankar". The Economics Times. 22 February 2023.
* Look, they (China) are the bigger economy. What am I going to do? As a smaller economy, I am going to pick up a fight with the bigger economy? It is not a question of being reactionary, it’s a question of common sense.
** On India's China policy, as quoted in "Mollycoddling China is not the solution". The Statesman. 07 March 2023.
* It is not the West which is flooding Asia and Africa with goods on a massive scale. I think we need to get over the syndrome of the past that the West is the bad guy and on the other side are the developing countries. The world is more complicated, the problems are much more complicated than that.
** On Anti-Westernism, as quoted in "We need to get over syndrome that ‘West is the bad guy’: S Jaishankar". The Indian Express. 18 September 2023.
* If I change the name of your house, does it become my house?
** As quoted at Reuters and in "China’s “Names War” Attacks India’s Arunachal Pradesh" by Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter (April 9, 2024)
*** As quoted at Radio Free Asia: If today, I change the name of your house, will it become mine?
* If Pakistan vacates PoK, Kashmir issue will be ‘solved’
** India's stance on Kashmir is based on legal, historical, and developmental perspectives. The removal of Article 370 integrated Jammu and Kashmir into India's constitutional framework, ensuring equal rights and benefits for all citizens. The Indian government has focused on restoring economic growth, social justice, and democratic participation, as seen in the high voter turnout in recent elections. Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) remains illegally occupied, and its return to India would resolve the issue entirely. Allegations of human rights violations are often politically motivated, as India remains committed to democracy, equal rights, and inclusive development.
*** Source: "If Pakistan vacates PoK, Kashmir issue will be ‘solved’: Jaishankar". The Hindu. 5 March 2025.

## External links

* Encyclopedic article on S. Jaishankar on Wikipedia