Whether Indian Government is worried over the growing perception in world capitals of India becoming a majoritarian country and an authoritarian state, it is clearly working overtime to dispel the impression.

The exercise spilled out in the open when, on Saturday, Tenzing Lamsang, editor of the newspaper The Bhutanese and President of the Media Association of Bhutan tweeted the following:

“On the sidelines of an Indian Embassy press conference on hydropower to the Bhutanese press on 10th Nov - it also issued a press release on the Ayodhya verdict. My reporter was a bit confused with the PR and brought it to me a day later. I found points 8 and 9 interesting. Clearly the MEA & GoI are concerned with international perceptions on the verdict. What with hearings going on in the USA & the western press turning more hostile. India’s democratic & liberal image has been a major source of influence for it in the West & it opened many doors.”