New Delhi: Remarks by the US State Department on Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest are unwarranted and a strong protest has been lodged, India said on Thursday.
The Ministry of External Affairs during the weekly presser said that India lodged strong objections and protests with a senior official from the US Embassy about comments made by the State Department. The recent remarks are unwarranted. In India, the rule of law governs legal proceedings. It further stated that anyone with a comparable attitude, particularly those of other democracies, should have no trouble understanding this.
Days before India’s general elections, the MEA responded to remarks made by the US over Congress’s allegation that its bank accounts had been frozen due to unjust tax demands. The legislature claims that because its bank accounts are under lockdown, it is unable to fund polling for this election.
The MEA emphasized the strength and independence of India’s democratic institutions and declared that it is intolerable for outsiders to interfere with the country’s legal and electoral systems. The spokesman also emphasized how committed the Indian government is to preventing outside meddling in India’s democratic institutions, including the courts. The MEA further stated that states are supposed to respect each other’s sovereignty and internal affairs and that mutual respect and understanding are the cornerstones of international relations.
Strong language was used by the External Affairs Ministry in response to the US’s repeated demands on Wednesday for “fair, transparent, and timely legal processes” surrounding Mr Kejriwal’s incarceration. When questioned about the meeting between MEA officials and the US’s Acting Deputy Chief of Mission in Delhi, Gloria Berbena, on Wednesday, the US stated it “continues to follow these actions closely”.
The State Department stated that it is “aware of the allegations…” regarding the tax controversy in Congress and that it encourages the Indian government to handle these matters in a “fair and transparent” manner. Furthermore, India’s strong objections to foreign intervention in its domestic affairs were not unique to the US or any other Western country. A “fair and impartial trial” was demanded by the German Foreign Ministry for Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party and the first Chief Minister to be detained while in office.
India also responded angrily to the comments, calling in the German envoy and denouncing the Foreign Office’s statement as “blatant interference in internal matters”. “We see such remarks as interfering in our judicial process and undermining the independence of our judiciary,” added the MEA. A spokesperson for the MEA seemed to retract their statement this morning, stating that “fundamental human values and freedoms are guaranteed by the Indian constitution.”
