Collage showing External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un, and American philanthropist George Soros.
Credit: PTI, Reuters, X/@georgesoros
Known for his clever responses, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has again taken the internet by storm with his witty reply to a question.
In an exclusive interview with news agency ANI, Jaishankar was asked to choose between dinner with North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un and American billionaire and philanthropist George Soros, but the External Affairs Minister picked neither.
"I'll give you two options. You have to choose either of them ...There are no prizes for winning. So, the first question is: one person you wish to have dinner with—Kim Jong Un or George Soros?." the reporter asked Jaishankar, to which the minister replied with a wry smile, "I think it is Navratri, I am fasting."
The video of the interview quickly went viral, with the internet praising the minister for his wit in the face of a vexing question.
"Chad", "Sigma", "King" were used to describe Jaishankar as the video went viral.
For those unaware, George Soros has, on and off, been at odds with the Narendra Modi government and has on several occasions been accused by the ruling BJP of trying to interfere with "India's democratic process".
Jaishankar's comments come ahead of his visit to Pakistan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) conclave.
The visit to Pakistan will be the first by an Indian foreign minister since Sushma Swaraj visited Islamabad in December 2015.
Jaishankar, however, has clarified that even though he will be in Pakistan, he will not be holding bilateral talks with India's boisterous neighbour.
"I expect there would be a lot of media interest because of the very nature of the relationship," Jaishankar recently said at an interactive session.
"I do want to say it will be for a multilateral event. I am not going there to discuss India-Pakistan relations. I am going there to be a good member of the SCO," he added.