‘Such comments are unjustified’
Key points
- ‘America is familiar with political protests, can offer advice to India during its current period of social unrest’
- ‘We respect the right of the Indian government to determine national policy’
- India has called comments from foreign leaders and politicians ‘misinformed’ and ‘unjustified’
Washington: Expressing concern over the protest by farmers in India, Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and a group of seven influential US lawmakers have written to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, urging him to raise the issue with his Indian counterpart EAM S Jaishankar.
In their letter, lawmakers have called the protests an issue of particular concern to Sikh Americans with ties to Punjab and one that also strongly affects Indian Americans from other Indian states.
In addition to Jayapal, the letter has been signed by Congressmen Donald Norcross, Brendan F Boyle, Brian Fitzpatrick, Mary Gay Scanlon, Debbie Dingell, and David Trone.
‘America can offer India advice in this period of social unrest’
“Many Indian Americans are directly affected because they have family and ancestral lands in Punjab and are concerned about the well-being of their families in India. Faced with this serious situation, we urge you to contact your Indian counterpart to reinforce the United States’ commitment to freedom of political expression abroad, ”they said.
Earlier, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and British Sikh Labor MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi supported the farmers’ protest and called on British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to raise the issue with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi during his visit to India. next month.
Claiming that the matter concerns the internal affairs of a democratic country, India has described the statements of foreign leaders and politicians regarding the agitation of farmers as “misinformed” and “unjustified”.
‘Respect the right of the Indian government to determine national policy’
US lawmakers have said that the United States as a nation is familiar with political protests and can offer advice to India during its current period of social unrest.
In their letter, the legislators mentioned that they respect the right of the Indian government to determine national policy, in accordance with existing law and also recognize the rights of those in India and abroad to peacefully protest against agricultural laws. perceived by Indian farmers as an attack on their economic security.
Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and several other states have been sitting in protest at various borders in Delhi since November 26, seeking a repeal of three agricultural laws enacted in September.
