People writing these reports have a strong bias: S Jaishankar's

• Minister S Jaishankar addressed questions regarding reports downgrading India's democracy scores during an exchange with a journalist
• The journalist inquired whether India's perceived democratic decline could impact its rise as a global power
• Jaishankar defended his previous remarks, suggesting that these reports are biased and often contain inaccuracies

In an exchange that garnered attention, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar responded to a journalist's query at the Council of Foreign Relations regarding recent reports that have downgraded India's democracy scores. Jaishankar expressed his belief that these reports are biased and defended his previous response on the matter.

The journalist referred to Jaishankar's earlier comments where he criticized what he called "self-appointed custodians of the world" and their inability to accept India's independent stance. The journalist sought clarification on whether Jaishankar was concerned that India's perceived democratic decline might hinder its global aspirations.

Jaishankar responded by stating that his previous remarks were clear and should be understood objectively. He asserted that many of these reports exhibit bias, distort facts, and contain inaccuracies, implying that there is an ideological agenda behind them.

"I think it answers the questions if you are objective enough to understand it. I think It says very clearly that people who are writing these reports have a strong bias, often they distort facts. many of these reports are riddled with inaccuracies. So I put it to you there is an ideological agenda. I don't know why that's hard to understand," Jaishankar said.