‘Unwarranted, unacceptable’: India responds to US remarks on CM’s arrest
NEW DELHI: India on Thursday said the US State Department’s recent remarks on the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal are “unwarranted” and asserted the country is “proud of its independent and robust democratic institutions” and committed to protect them from any form of undue external influences.
During his weekly press briefing, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal read out a statement in response to a query on New Delhi’s stand on the remarks made by Washington on the arrest and on freezing of Congress party’s bank accounts.
Any “external imputation” on India’s electoral and legal processes is “completely unacceptable”, he said. “Yesterday India had lodged its strong objection and protest with the senior official from the US embassy with regard to the comments made by the US State Department,” he said. The recent remarks by the State Department are “unwarrante”, the MEA Spokesperson said, reading the statement.
India on Wednesday summoned Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Gloria Berbena and lodged a strong protest against Washington’s remarks on the arrest of Kejriwal.
In India, legal processes are driven “only by the rule of law”, Jaiswal said on Thursday.
Encourage transparent legal proceedings: US on Kejri’s arrest
After India summoned a senior US diplomat to lodge a protest over remarks on the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Washington on Wednesday stressed that it encourages fair, transparent, timely legal processes and “we don’t think anyone should object to that”.