THE United States has rejected a claim made by Russia that it was interfering in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in India. “No, of course, we don’t involve ourselves in elections in India as we don’t involve ourselves in elections anywhere in the world,” said Matthew Miller, a spokesperson of the US State Department. “Those are decisions for the people of India to make,” he insisted.
Miller’s comments came in response to a claim by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova that the United States was trying to interfere in India’s parliamentary elections and “unbalance” the internal political situation in the country.
‘Lacked understanding’
In a media briefing, Zakharova had said that the US was yet to provide “reliable evidence” of the involvement of Indian citizens in the foiled murder attempt against Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Referring to the US report on religious freedom in India, Zakharova said the US lacked understanding of India’s national mentality and history.
She was speaking with reference to a Washington Post article that alleged the involvement of an Indian intelligence officer in a plot to assassinate Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on the US soil last year.
“Regular unfounded accusations by the United States against New Delhi… we see that they groundlessly accuse not only India but also many other states…of violating religious freedoms are a reflection of the United States’ misunderstanding of the national mentality, the historical context of the development of the Indian state and disrespect for India as a state,” Zakharova told reporters in Moscow.
‘Biased’ USCIRF report
In its latest report, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has criticised India for alleged violations of religious freedom and several other issues. It called for designating India and 16 other nations as “countries of particular concern” for “engaging in or tolerating particularly severe violations of the right to freedom of religion or belief”.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs has called the report “biased” and said the USCIRF continued to “publish anti-India propaganda” masquerading as part of its annual report.
