External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar took to the social media platform X to extend greetings to the United Kingdom on a special occasion. The message went out from his official handle, @DrSJaishankar.
What Jaishankar Wrote
In his post, Jaishankar conveyed greetings to the UK's Foreign Secretary (FS) @YvetteCooperMP, along with the Government and people of the United Kingdom, on the occasion of the Official Birthday of His Majesty King Charles III. He added that India remains committed to further deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two nations. He accompanied the message with the flags of India 🇮🇳 and the United Kingdom 🇬🇧.
The Diplomatic Context
The minister's message falls within the broader framework of ongoing diplomatic ties between India and the UK, which both sides have repeatedly spoken of advancing. Such greetings on formal occasions are generally seen as part of routine diplomatic courtesy.
Public Reaction
The post, however, drew a decidedly mixed and largely critical response from social media users. Many asked when the government would stand with the families of Indian sailors who had lost their loved ones. Some users pointed to the deaths of three Indian mariners after an attack on a commercial vessel and called the government's response weak, while others invoked historical grievances to express anger at such a formal courtesy message. On the whole, a large share of the responses recorded pointed questions and disagreement rather than support.
