What provoked Rahul Gandhi to cast aspersions on Indian diplomats?

Clad in Nehru bandhgala suit, which made some even wonder whether he resembled his father Rajiv Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi has asserted before a very friendly audience in UK recently that Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officers have “changed” and are “arrogant” and "don't listen" because they work for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

It is not surprising that the official establishment has to hit back in full vigour to the outrage triggered by Rahul's latest outburst. That is because many Western countries are actually engaged in serious dialogue with India after the Ukraine crisis and understand Modi's stewardship of India's core national interests.

Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, himself a former IFS officer who served as the foreign secretary during 2015-18, said in a tweet that IFS had changed but this was more about confidence. “Yes, the Indian Foreign Service has changed. Yes, they follow the orders of the Government. Yes, they counter the arguments of others. No, it’s not called Arrogance. It is called Confidence. And it is called defending the National Interest.”

What provoked Rahul to cast aspersions on the professionalism of Indian diplomats?

Was it because Modi's visit to Germany, Denmark and France recently was productive, opening up immense possibilities for an enduring strategic partnership between India and Europe? Or is it because our PM has been wooed by western leaders who are desperate for a counterbalance to China even though he has refused to break ties with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

Modi went to France, Germany and Denmark after visits to India by UK prime minister Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. Many western leaders  were seen very keen to court his support and signed bilateral deals designed to bring New Delhi closer to the west.

In fact, knowing fully well that India’s military is dependent on Russian weaponry, the UK and France have announced defence partnerships in order to diversify its arsenal.

The EU and UK have also sought speedier talks for free trade deals to deepen economic links. Some leaders, such as Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen, who met Modi in Copenhagen, have suggested that India could use its  neutrality over the conflict to “influence” Moscow.

Not only on security matters, Modi seemed to have also sought to engage the European strengths in technological innovation, clean energy, and green growth with India's needs in these vital sectors.

Modi believes that Europe may have emerged as India’s natural partner in building a multipolar world. China is already at work in creating a Sino-centric and unipolar Asia while Russia is very friendly with China.

If that is the case, why should Rahul say that: “I was talking to some bureaucrats from Europe and they were saying that the Indian Foreign Service has completely changed. They don’t listen to anything; they are arrogant. Now, they are just telling us what orders they are getting. There is no conversation. You can’t, you can’t do that” ?

That too, at an event titled ‘Ideas for India’ at Cambridge University to mark the occasion of the 75th year of India’s Independence!

Of course, the work load on Indian diplomats has increased by leaps and bounds. They have been required to further Modi's agenda to maximise India's influence on strategic as well as economic matters since he became PM. Many have successfully accomplished the task set out for them by the government in line with his thinking.

It is true Modi has attempted revision of India’s global identity, emphasising on its cultural and geopolitical strengths and standing.

It is understandable some diplomats who retired and were close to the Congress set-up are critical of Modi for their own reasons. Perhaps, they feel they have missed out on post-retirement jobs or miss their old clout in the international fora. That's why some of them are part of a Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG), a larger body of retired civil servants, who are largely seen as critical of the PM.

This body has been coming out with statements against Modi -- only to be countered by another body of retired diplomats, the Forum of Former Ambassadors of India (FOFA) who think that the PM has not done a bad job despite severe economic challenges.

Anti-Modi diplomats including former National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon and former Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran – both of whom are signatories to CCG statements — have disputed Modi’s foreign policy handling of China as well as the Covid crisis, while accusing him of “image management.”

These ex-diplomats who often brief Rahul and other Congress leaders believe that Hindutva influences diplomatic discourse, protocol, and communication. This entails a reassertion of India’s civilizational identity, expressed in annual diplomatic practices like engagement with the Indian diaspora who are seen by Modi as allies, benefactors, and unofficial ambassadors.

Earlier, the diaspora were taken for granted by earlier Indian prime ministers.

Recently, External affairs minister S Jaishankar recounted in an article in a newly-released book -- Modi@20: Dreams Meet Delivery -- on how Modi — who has “more travel experience” than him — brought the focus of foreign policy around leveraging external relationships for domestic development. “That Modi has little appetite for conventional sightseeing is well known. What I discovered accompanying him was how strongly the experiences abroad were driven by a goal of identifying and absorbing best practices,” he wrote. The PM’s learning, extensive travel and experience from his Gujarat days guided policymaking in foreign policy too, Jaishankar said.

Similarly, in his account in the same book, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval describes one of the “striking characteristics” of the PM — his ability to approach national security matters from a long-term strategic perspective. “He has an uncanny futuristic sense, and observes risks and opportunities that are often missed even by experts,” said Doval. The PM’s efforts to develop personal equations with world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, has been instrumental in resolving many crises. During the 2017 Doklam stand-off, India showed resolve both during the stand-off and in post-conflict negotiations. Doval also narrated an incident of Modi walking up to Xi to talk about the issue on the sidelines of G-20 summit.

Therefore, instead of accusing our diplomats of being rude at Modi's behest, Rahul and the Congress would do well if they ponder why Emmanuel Macron greeted him with a bear hug in front of the Elysée Palace shortly after he was re-elected French president. In Berlin, German chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomed his “super partner”. UK prime minister Boris Johnson, on a visit to New Delhi, lavished praise on his "khaas dost" or special friend.