Munich (Germany): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday criticised the West for perceiving democracy as an exclusively Western trait.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference during a panel discussion on "Live to Vote Another Day: Fortifying Democratic Resilience," together with Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, US Senator Elissa Slotkin, and Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, Jaishankar challenged the notion that democracy is in crisis globally, pointing to India's robust democratic system.

Addressing a question on Western democracy, he remarked, "I think I appeared to be an optimist in what is relatively a pessimistic panel, if not room. Let me start by raising my index finger—don’t take it the wrong way—this mark on my nail signifies that I have just voted.

“We recently had elections in my state (Delhi). Last year, we held a national election, where approximately two-thirds of eligible voters participated. Out of an electorate of around 900 million, nearly 700 million cast their votes, and we counted them in a single day."

Jaishankar highlighted that voter participation in India has risen by over 20% since the country began holding modern elections.

"So, when people say democracy is struggling worldwide, I have to disagree. Right now, we are thriving—we are voting, and we are optimistic about our democracy. For us, democracy delivers," he added, stressing that India's election results are not disputed once announced.

Responding to Senator Slotkin’s remark that democracy "doesn’t put food on your table," Jaishankar countered, "In my part of the world, it does. We are a democratic society that provides nutrition support and food to 800 million people, which directly affects their health and well-being. Different parts of the world are having different conversations—please do not assume this is a universal phenomenon."

When asked whether the Global South still aspires to democracy, Jaishankar asserted that all large nations are unique but noted that India’s democratic model emerged naturally due to its consultative and pluralistic society.

He also criticised the West for historically promoting non-democratic forces in the Global South while claiming to uphold democratic values.

"It still does. I can point to very recent examples where the principles you value at home are not applied abroad. The Global South will assess democracy based on how it succeeds or fails elsewhere," he said.

Jaishankar emphasised that despite economic hardships, India remained committed to democracy.

"In our region, we are almost the only country that has done so. If the West wants democracy to prevail globally, it must also acknowledge successful models outside its own sphere," he concluded.