Remarks of US state dept on Kejriwal's arrest, freeze of Congress funds unwarranted, says MEA
NEW DELHI: The US State Department made remarks for the second time on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest and the freezing of Congress funds to which India has responded again, saying the comments are "unwarranted".
“As you are aware, on Wednesday, 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. The recent remarks by the State Department are unwarranted. Any such external imputation on our electoral and legal processes is completely unacceptable,” said Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Randhir Jaiswal on Thursday.
India on Wednesday had 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.
“Anyone who has similar ethos, especially fellow democracies, should have no difficulty in appreciating this fact. India is proud of its independent and robust democratic institutions. We are committed to protect them from any form of undue external influences,” Jaiswal added, quoting the statement.
The MEA also reiterated, "Mutual respect and understanding form the foundation of international relations, and states are expected to be respectful of sovereignty and internal affairs of others. So, this is our statement in response to your questions."
Washington on Wednesday had stressed that it encourages fair, transparent, timely legal processes and "we don't think anyone should object to that".
"We continue to follow these actions closely, including the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal," US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said.
It may be recalled that Germany has also made comments on the arrest of Kejriwal, expressing optimism that his trial would be fair. On March 23, India had summoned the German deputy chief of mission here and lodged a strong protest against their comments.
"We see such remarks as interfering in our judicial process and undermining the independence of our judiciary," the MEA had earlier said.
The Enforcement Directorate has arrested Kejriwal in a money laundering case linked to the excise policy 'scam'.
The case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 that was later scrapped.
(With PTI inputs)