The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on March 28 reiterated the Government of India’s objection to the back-to-back remarks from the U.S. Department of State about the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and freezing of the chief opposition Congress’ bank accounts. In the weekly press briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reminded that the modern states are “expected to be respectful of the sovereignty and internal affairs of others.”
Hours later, the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary General dealt with the same matter and called for “free and fair” voting in India.
“The recent remarks by the State Department are unwarranted. Any such external imputation on our electoral and legal processes is completely unacceptable. In India, legal processes are driven only by the Rule of Law. Anyone who has similar ethos, especially fellow democracies, should have no difficulty in appreciating this fact,” said Mr. Jaiswal.
