Lok Sabha LoP says India’s foreign policy should be
driven by national interest rather than personal relationships with foreign
leaders
New Delhi, India
By: South
Asia Bureau
Lok Sabha
Leader of Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi criticised what he described
as an approach to foreign policy that equates diplomacy with personal
relationships and symbolic gestures involving foreign leaders.
Speaking
in Delhi, Gandhi said he was unsure where the idea originated that foreign
policy was about “hugging politicians”. He argued that the role of the Prime
Minister while dealing with foreign governments is not simply to build personal
friendships, but to protect India’s national interests.
Gandhi
recalled an episode from his childhood during a visit to the United States with
his family. He said that his grandmother, who was then the Prime Minister of
India, attended an official state dinner while he and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
remained at home with their mother.
Recalling
his grandmother’s comments after returning from the dinner, Gandhi said she
believed the hosts had deliberately coordinated the colour of Nancy Reagan’s
dress with her sari. He used the anecdote to illustrate his broader point about
the nature of international diplomacy.
Gandhi
said that when an Indian Prime Minister visits another country in an official
capacity, the relationship should not be viewed simply as a personal
friendship. According to him, the primary responsibility of the Prime Minister
is to safeguard the country’s interests.
His
remarks come amid continuing political debate in India over the direction and
conduct of the country’s foreign policy and the role of personal diplomacy in
international relations.