Picture : ANI /X
External affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar rejected US President Joe Biden’s comment that “xenophobia” was hobbling the country’s economic growth, The Economic Times reported .
Jaishankar said at a round table hosted by the newspaper that India’s economy “is not faltering” and that it has historically been a society that is very open.
“That’s why we have the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act), which is to open up doors for people who are in trouble … I think we should be open to people who have the need to come to India, who have a claim to come to India,” Jaishankar said, mentioning to the law that allows immigrants who have fled persecution from neighbouring countries to become citizens.
Earlier this week, US President Biden caused a stir and had reportedly said “xenophobia” in China, Japan and India was holding back growth in the respective economies as he argued migration has been good for the U.S. economy.
“One of the reasons why our economy’s growing is because of you and many others. Why? Because we welcome immigrants,” Mr. Biden said at a fundraising event for his 2024 re-election campaign and marking the start of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
