India Summons German Spokesperson Over Remarks On Delhi CM Kejriwal's Arrest, Jaishankar "Challenges" Western Narratives

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has criticised the West for shaping narratives that affect the global reputations of countries during a question and answer session at the National University of Singapore on Saturday (23 March).

He stated, "The West has often played the role of both player and umpire, mostly emerging victorious. People need to challenge this."

Before embarking on a three-nation visit on Friday night, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, following discussions with senior officials, instructed that the unwarranted remarks made by a German spokesperson regarding the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister on money laundering charges related to the Excise Policy scam must be refuted.

This was seen as undue interference by Bonn in India's judicial process and democracy, as per a report by Hindustan Times.

Although the summoned German deputy chief of mission, Georg Enzweller, defended the spokesperson's comment by stating that he praised Indian democracy.

Indian External Affairs Ministry has explicitly requested Germany to refrain from interfering in Indian judicial processes, emphasising that India did not seek any certification regarding its democracy.

India's protest against German remarks concerning the arrest of the Delhi Chief Minister sends a clear message from the Modi government that it will reject any external interference in its internal affairs. The government has asserted that it will challenge any such interference as the country approaches a general election.

Interestingly, the question posed to the German spokesman about the Delhi Chief Minister’s arrest was asked by a correspondent of Deutsche Welle, a state-owned public broadcaster funded by the German federal tax budget.