EAM Jaishankar was speaking at a FICCI programme in New Delhi
In his address at the 96th Annual General Meeting of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday emphasized the concept of ‘Bharat,’ stating that the country has had an exceptionally difficult time in terms of the challenges on its northern borders with China three years ago.

“But even though this happened in the middle of Covid, yet we responded very resolutely, very determinedly, and to date, we still remain deployed in whatever manner is necessary for our national security, or even in terms of our own issues,” he said.
 
Jaishankar also explained how India has tried to create global awareness against terrorism
 
“I mean, there's no society which has been more traumatized in the modern era than us when it comes to terrorism. So, putting terrorism on the international map, and making sure that it's not like, in the world, sometimes you feel terrorism in some geographies have a certain importance, in other geographies, they don't, because who shapes the narrative assigns a certain weight to geographies. So how do you put terrorism,” the EAM maintained.
 
Amplifying the political dimension of ‘Bharat,’ he said, “There is a certain pride in being Bharat.  There is a certain demeanour in being Bharat. So, one part of being Bharat is also learning to stand up. So, if others tell you that you shouldn't be doing it, I'm not saying, therefore, you should do it, but I'm saying we should reflect on it, and if it is in our interest, we should do it.”
 
Highlighting further the political dimension of ‘Bharat,’ he said, “Our choices, you know, diplomacy, international relations, good ties, friendship, are not about giving other people a say in your choice. Our choice must be our choice, however difficult it is. I'm not a rash person. I would say we need to calculate, we need to strategize. Sometimes we need to soften at times. That is something which my business also does.”
 
Talking about diplomatic challenges that Bharat navigate through without succumbing to any pressure, Jaishankar said, “When it came to our energy purchases, our national choices and national interests were supposed to be subservient to the political correctness of other countries, who, by the way, had made their own arrangements to soften the blow for themselves. Or I give you a very different example, which is Quad, that we were being hustled by a narrative that somehow by working with three other countries, this is something which is making somebody else uncomfortable. Well, if somebody else is uncomfortable, that's their problem."
 
 Highlighting the idea of Bharat, he said some people have taken it as a “linguistic debate, some people have taken it as political debate.”
 
“I want to give you my two bits worth. To me, Bharat is actually a belief and an attitude. For me, Bharat has an economic dimension, it has a political meaning, it has cultural, social, I would say, even personal expressions,” Jaishankar said.
 
“At the end of the day, to me, the term Bharat means do not let other people define you, try and define yourself. But it has to come from itself because that very term Bharat, which is so laden with symbolism, actually captures, you know, it captures centuries of what we are all about as a people,” the EAM added.
 
Emphasizing the importance of Bharat and its interests, he said, “It has to be a Bharat where we will engage with the world confidently, but not a Bharat where we will engage with the world at the cost of our people. I think that, to me, is actually a conceptual basis of what Bharat is about and what Atma Nirbhar Bharat is about.”
 
Explaining the economic dimension of ‘Bharat,’ Jaishankar said, “If you are Bharat, you have to be Atmanirbhar. And if you are Atmanirbhar, you will be Bharat. So, I say this at the premier gathering, premier organization of the producers of this country, that if we are heading towards Viksit Bharat, that Viksit Bharat has to be an Atmanirbhar Bharat.”
 
Talking about Atmanirbhar Bharat, he highlighted production-linked incentive schemes that have been offered to 14 sectors to enhance the country’s manufacturing capabilities and exports. He described the call of 'vocal for local' as a very “powerful motivational campaign.”
 
“So today, I would say for me, the Bharat effort would mean how do we boost domestic production? How do we support domestic producers? How do we increase domestic demand? And as I said, how do we create our own supply chains at home in a manner in which many other countries have done? And I fully recognize this is not something which is easy, because, I mean, there are costs involved, there are skills involved, there are technologies involved, and yet, for all the difficulties, it must be a prime objective, a prime objective together both of the Government and of industry,” Jaishankar maintained.
 
“So, at the end of the day, we have to do what we have to do, however difficult that is, however tough that is, and it is that confidence of being able to exercise choice after choice that will define us as Bharat,” EAM Jaishankar added.