Taking strong objection to the Unites States' remarks on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday reacted to the US' second statement and termed the remarks "unwarranted" and "unacceptable".
Today, the ministry's statement came today after the US reiterated its call for "fair, transparent, timely legal processes" on Arvind Kejriwal's arrest.
What did the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) say?
"We take strong objection to the remarks of the Spokesperson of the US State Department about certain legal proceedings in India," the MEA said in a statement after the US diplomat was summoned to its office in Delhi's South Block.
"In diplomacy, states are expected to be respectful of the sovereignty and internal affairs of others. This responsibility is even more so in the case of fellow democracies. It could otherwise end up setting unhealthy precedents," the statement further said.
According to MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, "Any such external invitation on electoral and legal processes is completely unacceptable. In India, legal processes are driven only by the rule of law. Anyone who has a similar ethos, especially fellow democracies, should have no difficulty in appreciating this fact."
Reacting against the United States' remarks, MEA also said that India is proud of its "independent and robust" democratic institutions and is committed to protect them from any form of undue external influences.
Mutual respect and understanding form the foundation of international relations and states are expected to be respectful of the sovereignty and internal affairs of others," the statement further added.
What did the US say?
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said earlier today, "We continue to follow these actions closely, including the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal. We encourage fair, transparent and timely legal processes for each of these issues."
His remarks came a day after India summoned a US diplomat and objected to the US's earlier remarks on Arvind Kejriwal's arrest.
Besides Kejriwal's arrest, Miller also highlighted Congress's claim of freezing of its bank accounts and said, "We are also aware of Congress's allegations that tax authorities have frozen some of their bank accounts in a manner that will make it challenging to effectively campaign in the upcoming elections. And we encourage fair, transparent and timely legal processes for each of these issues".
