'Liked Modi Before Meeting Modi': Jaishankar Recalls 1st Encounter With India's PM

10:22 GMT, 23 September 2022

Alan Dzhigkaev

India's top diplomat is paying a 10-day visit to the United States on September 18-28, where he is heading New Delhi’s delegation for the High-Level Week at the 77th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). Multilateral meetings of BRICS, the Quad, and other international organizations are also on the agenda.

Sputnik

India's Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar has praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his crisis management and always being there when the country needs him.

During his speech on the occasion of the release of Modi's new book "Modi @ 20: Dreams Meet Delivery" in New York, Jaishankar recalled a conversation with Modi apparently in connection with India’s evacuation effort from Afghanistan following an attack on the Consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif.

In January 2016, terrorists tried to enter the Indian Consulate compound in the city, located in close proximity to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, but were captured by security forces. At the time, Jaishankar was serving as foreign secretary of India.

“It was past midnight, and our consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, was under attack. My phone rang. When the prime minister calls, there is no caller ID. His first question was - 'Jaage ho?' ('Are you awake?') At 12:30 of course, what else would I be doing? In his life, it must be normal. And then he said - ‘Accha, TV dekh rahe ho?’ ('Are you watching TV?')."

Jaishankar also said he assured the prime minister that help was on the way, to which Modi replied: "Accha jab khatam ho jayega, mujhe phone kar dena (When it all ends, call me)." Even after he told Modi that it "might take a couple of more hours and that I would call up at his office," the prime minister reiterated, "Mujhe phone kar dena (Call me please).”

“Good times or bad times, he is always there. Politicians are always there in good times. The fact that things are difficult - we saw that during Covid. Not every leader steps up in difficult times,” Jaishankar said.

The Indian foreign minister also stressed that Modi always adheres to the national interest and regularly seeks counsel, “What should and shouldn’t he say?".

When asked about Modi's influence on Indian politics, Jaishankar didn't hesitate to say that he "liked Mr. Modi before meeting Mr. Modi," suggesting that he is "a product of change" himself.

"The fact that someone like him eventually has become the PM of India, itself shows how much India has changed… He also asks 'what should I not say,' apart from talking about what he should say. He also seeks feedback," Jainshankar concluded.