New Delhi, May 21: Foreign Minister S Jaishankar today reacted sharply to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks that Indian Foreign Service has completely changed and bureaucrats are now arrogant.

Speaking at the ‘Ideas For India’ conference in London, Rahul Gandhi said that while talking to Indian bureaucrats posted in Europe he was told that the Indian Foreign Service has completely changed.

“They won’t listen to anything, they are arrogant. Now they just tell us what orders they are getting, there is no conversation; you can’t do that,” said Rahul Gandhi.
Yes, the Indian Foreign Service has changed.

Replying to Gandhi’s alegation, Jaishankar said, “Yes, they follow the orders of the Government. Yes, they counter the arguments of others. No, its not called arrogance. It is called confidence. And it is called defending national interest”.