Jaishankar rejects US President Biden’s comments and says, “India is not xenophobic, but very open and hospitable”

ANI |
Updated: May 04, 2024 12:13 IST

New Delhi (India), May 4 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has dismissed US President Joe Biden’s recent comments describing India as ‘xenophobic’ and stressed that the country has been open and welcoming for people from diverse societies.
Speaking to the Economic Times, Jaishankar also refuted the claim that the Indian economy was faltering. The Union Minister said the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), introduced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, reflects India’s welcoming approach.
On April 2, Biden had said that the ‘xenophobic’ nature of India, China, Japan and Russia is responsible for their economic problems and argued that the US economy is growing because it is welcoming immigrants into its territory. He made the statement while campaigning for his re-election at a fundraising event in Washington, arguing that Japan, along with Russia and China, would do better economically if the countries embraced immigration more.
“Why? Because we welcome immigrants. We look at – the reason – look, think about it. Why is China hanging in such a bad place economically? Why is Japan having problems? Why is Russia? Why is India? Because they are xenophobic They don’t want immigrants ,” said Biden.
Jaishankar said in the interview published on Saturday: “First of all, our economy is not faltering.”
“India has always been… India has been a very unique country… I would actually say that in the history of the world it has been a society that has been very open… different people from different societies come to India, ” he said.
Jaishankar stated that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), introduced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, reflects India’s hospitable approach.

He said, “That is why we have the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act), which should open doors to people who are in trouble… I think we should be open to people who have a need to come to India, who have a claim to come to India.”
Jaishankar rejected the criticism of CAA and said, “There are people who have publicly stated that because of CAA, one million Muslims will lose their citizenship in this country.” He further said, “Why are they not being held accountable? Because no one has lost citizenship.”
During the roundtable at The Economic Times, Jaishankar also spoke about the ongoing anti-Israel protests on American college campuses and criticized a section of the Western media for biased reporting, suggesting that the reporting is “highly ideological” and not “objective.” He said this section of the media wants to shape the global narrative and focuses on India.
Replying to a question about reports claiming India’s involvement in targeted killings of terrorists in Pakistan, Jaishankar said, “Terrorists are there in large numbers. Statistically, where they are in large numbers, things will happen to them. Now they have an industry that is the terrorists’ industry… things can happen there.”
Meanwhile, hours after Biden called India, Japan and other countries “xenophobic,” the White House clarified the president’s intentions and emphasized his “respect” for allies and partners.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre claimed the president’s comments were part of a broader message emphasizing the strength that comes from America’s immigrant heritage. She emphasized that Biden’s focus remains on strengthening diplomatic relations with countries like India and Japan, which is evident from his actions over the past three years.
“It’s clear that we have a strong relationship with India and Japan, and if you just look at the last three years, the president has certainly focused on those diplomatic relationships,” she said. (ANI)