India on Wednesday (27/3) summoned a top US diplomat after Washington said it was “closely observing” events related to the jailing of a senior opposition leader, weeks before India's parliamentary elections were held.
The US State Department has urged India to ensure “fair, transparent and timely legal proceedings” for Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of the capital Delhi, who was detained last week in connection with a long-running corruption probe.
“We strongly object to these comments,” India's foreign ministry said in a statement. “In diplomacy, countries are expected to respect each other's sovereignty and internal affairs of other countries.”
Local television stations showed senior US diplomat Gloria Berbena entering the Indian Foreign Ministry office.
In Washington, when asked about India's reaction, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller repeated the same statement. And in his response to a question, he cited complaints from India's main opposition Congress Party about bank accounts being frozen for alleged late filing of tax returns.
“We also note the Congress Party's allegations that tax authorities have frozen a number of their bank accounts in an effort to make it difficult for the party to run an effective campaign in the upcoming elections,” Miller told reporters.
“We encourage a fair, transparent and timely legal process for each of these cases,” he added.
The United States has generally been cautious when commenting on India, which it views as a growing partner, despite some concerns voiced by rights groups about the country's direction under the rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Hindu nationalist who is the favorite to win the term. new position again.
Last week, Germans also expressed concern about the arrest of Kejriwal, a key leader of the opposition alliance formed to compete against Modi in elections starting next month.
India's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had also summoned Germany's deputy ambassador on Saturday (23/3).
The Kejriwal government has been accused of accepting kickbacks when granting liquor-related licenses to private companies.
He has rejected the accusations, and his supporters say the arrest was aimed at eliminating Modi's challengers before elections next month – accusations rejected by India's Foreign Ministry.
“The legal process in India is based on an independent judiciary that is committed to delivering objective and timely results,” they said.
India's top financial investigative agency, the Enforcement Directorate, which arrested Kejriwal, has launched probes into at least four chief ministers in four other states or their family members.
Critics accuse Modi of politicizing India's legal system.
Nearly one billion Indians will vote to elect a new government in six-week parliamentary elections starting on April 19. This process is the largest democratic practice in the world.
Many analysts see Modi's re-election as certain, in part because of the strong resonance his Hindu Nationalist politics has with the country's majority religion. (ns/ka)