'Ways Of Playing Mind Games': EAM Jaishankar On Press Index Rating, Says India Has 'Most Uncontrollable Press'

India's press is the most uncontrollable, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said when asked about India's poor rating on the press freedom index at an event on Sunday (7 May).

During the interactive session on the Foreign Policy of the Modi Government at Thinkers Forum in Mysuru, Jaishankar said, "I was amazed at our number. I thought we had the most uncontrollable press, and i mean, somebody is getting something fundamentally wrong".

Comparing India's rank with Afghanistan, EAM said, "Afghanistan was freer than us. Can you imagine? Look, these are all I mean, I see the democracy index, freedom index, religious freedom index, and press freedom index".

Jaishankar said that these indices are the "ways of playing mind games".

"Elevating somebody you like, doing down somebody you don't like, I think we have to absorb it, we have to combat it, we need to counter it", he said.

"I think today's India will not be at the receiving end of other people's judgment, we will be equally judgmental.. and I suspect that many people will not like it," he added.

India was ranked 161 and Afghanistan was at 152 on the World Freedom Press Index released by Reporters Without Borders earlier this month.