India will continue to be a thorn in the flesh of China-Pakistan and the West; Modi’s mastermind Jaishankar becomes minister again

New Delhi: When Sushma Swaraj took charge of the Ministry of External Affairs in the first term of the Narendra Modi government, she became the apple of the eye of Indians abroad. Before the Modi government could take up its second term, Sushma’s illness took a serious turn. Prime Minister Narendra Modi found her replacement in S. Jaishankar. he/she had met Jaishankar in China. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat at that time and Jaishankar was India’s ambassador to China. The talks in China made both of them admire each other. When Modi got a chance in 2019, he/she called Jaishankar. Then he/she was holding a high position in the country’s prestigious company group Tata.

S. Jaishankar is Modi’s missile

Modi kept the post of Foreign Minister reserved for Jaishankar even in his/her third term. Jaishankar is among those ministers whom Modi has given another chance. he/she is among those few ministers about whom hardly anyone would have doubted that he/she would be made the Foreign Minister this time too. This is because S. Jaishankar achieved such an achievement for India in his/her five-year tenure which has no parallel till date. he/she not only introduced the world to a new strong India but he/she also did not hesitate to show the mirror to all the developed and powerful countries including America on different occasions. The world was surprised by this new attitude of India and Indians were happy. Be it in the country or abroad, the patriotic Indians living in every corner of the world kept swelling with pride, the reason for which was S. Jaishankar. his/her ability to call day as day and night as night even in front of super powers kept winning the heart of every Indian.

The macho minister in Modi’s cabinet

Today, Jaishankar’s image is that of a macho minister in the Modi government. People like his/her swagger because it comes from his/her understanding and scholarship. Even if we judge Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar from the perspective of the high standards of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), he/she proves to be a very learned man. his/her juniors and advisors who have worked under him/her never tire of praising his/her ‘realistic approach to foreign policy’ apart from other skills. This was seen on many occasions since the year 2022 when he/she defended India’s view on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Also, he/she pushed India’s interests with the Quad against expansionist tendencies in the Indo-Pacific region. Jaishankar bluntly said that China-India relations cannot be normalized as long as the tension on the border continues.

Focus on advancing economic diplomacy

Interestingly, this experienced diplomat has kept himself most useful even in New Delhi, which is woven with the power of equations. Jaishankar has been the longest serving foreign secretary of the country in recent years and has helped a lot in shaping the foreign policy of Prime Minister Modi. As Foreign Secretary, he/she emerged as Modi’s informal foreign policy advisor. his/her strength comes from his/her extensive study, expression, subject knowledge and realistic approach to foreign policy. he/she has focused on advancing economic diplomacy which can bring much needed technology and immense capital to India.

Jaishankar has a wealth of achievements to his/her name

Jaishankar was also a key member of the team that worked on the nuclear deal with the US. The deal, initiated in 2005, took several years to be finalised and was signed by the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government in 2008. Apart from being the ambassador to the US, he/she was also the ambassador to the Czech Republic. Jaishankar, a 1977 batch Indian Foreign Service officer, was reportedly former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s first choice to replace Ranjan Mathai as foreign secretary in 2013. But the then Prime Minister was reportedly advised by senior Congress leaders to act on the basis of seniority and Sujatha Singh was appointed.

Will Jaishankar make a splash in his/her second term as well?

In the early days of his/her career, Jaishankar has been posted in Moscow and many other European capitals besides Tokyo. he/she has also worked as the First Secretary and Political Advisor of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka. For a year, he/she was the President of Global Corporate Affairs of the Tata Group. Now his/her second term as Foreign Minister is about to begin. It remains to be seen what other moments of pride he/she will provide to India during this tenure.