Jaishankar takes ‘International Khan Market gang’ jab at Western media, says…

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday responded to a question regarding the portrayal of India in Western media, saying that just like a ‘Khan Market Gang’ in India, there also exists a global extension of it— an ‘International Khan Market Gang’.

The foreign minister made the remarks during an interview with news agency ANI.

“In the country today, there is a certain thought process, or entitlement process for which the metaphor of ‘Khan Market Gang’ is a very good description. I want to tell you there is an international Khan Market Gang as well,” Jaishankar told ANI.

“These are people who are sort of linked, you know, to the entitled people out here. They are socially comfortable with them. They know them. They feel like they advance similar viewpoints. They are essentially a kind of an elitist, left-lib thought process. So there’s a symbiotic relationship between the two,” he added.

Further taking a swipe, he said that when the sales of ‘domestic Khan Market’ are down, the ‘International Khan Market’ gives support.

“When the sales are down in the domestic Khan Market, the International Khan Market gang feels like, I need to pep up these guys and give them support and you can actually see which stories they play up, how do they slant things and in previous elections perhaps even in this one they’ve actually openly endorsed parties and will openly endorse leaders and openly said that this party or this leader is bad for India,” the foreign minister said, according to ANI.

Jaishankar also alleged that a very clear attempt is being made to influence the direction of Indian politics and the choices of Indian voters.

“A very clear attempt being made to influence the direction of Indian politics and the choices of the Indian voter. It peaks at election time, but it continues even after that,” he said.

“All these rankings that you get, what do you think they are? They are all an attempt to demoralise you, delegitimise you, to kind of shape that all these things are wrong with India because India is going to give them a result they don’t like.”