Foreign Minister Dr S Jaishankar Tuesday said that India is focusing on how to expand its relationships with nations across the world, and responded to the criticism over his recent Russian visit in Western media by asserting that every nation has its values and interests. He also weighed in on the difference between former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s and then Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s policies with regard to neighbouring China, stating that India should deal with China on the basis of realism as Patel had advocated.

He was speaking to the Reporter in connection with the launch of his new book ‘Why Bharat Matters’, which he presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 30, 2023. In a freewheeling interview, Jaishankar touched upon a series of topics, including India’s relationship with Pakistan, China, Canada and Russia, the country’s role in the global space, and the use of the term ‘Bharat’ instead of India.

India should engage with China with mutual respect, sensitivity, and interest, and the approach should be grounded on realism and not on the romanticism of the Nehruvian era, said Jaishankar, touching upon the difference in opinion between India’s first Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhai Patel and then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on the issue.