"Yes, the Indian Foreign Service has changed. Yes, they follow the orders of the Government. Yes, they counter the arguments of others," said the EAM minister.
In a sharp retort to Rahul Gandhi on his comments quoting unnamed European bureaucrats that the Indian Foreign Service has completely changed and become arrogant, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday said it is called defending national interest.
Reacting to the Congress leader's remarks, Jaishankar tweeted that the change in the Indian Foreign Service is a reflection of confidence.
"Yes, the Indian Foreign Service has changed. Yes, they follow the orders of the Government. Yes, they counter the arguments of others.
''No, it's not called Arrogance," Jaishankar said.
"It is called Confidence. And it is called defending National Interest (sic)," the minister said.
At the 'Ideas for India' conference in London, Gandhi slammed the BJP government at the Centre on multiple fronts and alleged that the "deep state" in India is attacking institutions and capturing them.
In the interactive session, Gandhi also criticised the Indian Foreign Service.
"I was talking to some bureaucrats from Europe and they were saying that the Indian foreign service has completely changed, they do not listen to anything. They are arrogant... There is no conversation," he said.