India-US ties | “India is world’s largest democracy, important strategic partner” : US
India-US ties | Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the US Department of State addressed recent reports on democratic challenges in India and the US approach towards the bilateral relationship.
Miller, when questioned, reiterated the significance of the US-India strategic partnership, affirming India's status as a crucial ally to the United States.
In a daily press briefing, Miller said, “So India is the world's largest democracy, it is an important strategic partner of the United States, and I expect that to remain true."
#WATCH | On being asked about the United States' relationship with India, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller says, "India is the world's largest democracy, it is an important strategic partner of the United States and I expect that to remain true." pic.twitter.com/nV6nD2owfr — ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2024
On April 4, US Department of State spokesperson Mathew Miller questioned whether the state department was taking a stand on the arrest of Indian opposition leader Arvind Kejriwal but not doing the same on the arrests of Pakistani opposition leaders.
Matthew Miller declined to conflate the two cases and emphasised the US stance on Pakistan, stressing the importance of consistent application of rule of law and human rights for all individuals in the country.
The press briefing has repeatedly brought up the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
The Aam Aadmi Party's National Convenor was arrested on March 21 for alleged misdoings in the now-scrapped Delhi Excise policy case under an ongoing money laundering probe by the ED.
Previously, Miller addressed India's summoning of a US diplomat regarding comments on the arrest of Delhi CM Kejriwal and the freezing of Congress party's bank accounts, stating that they are closely monitoring these developments.
"We continue to follow these actions closely, including the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. We are also aware of the Congress party'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," Miller added.
"And we encourage fair, transparent and timely legal processes for each of these issues," he stressed. Stating that India is proud of its "robust and independent" democratic institutions, the Ministry of External Affairs called the remarks by the US State Department on the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal "unwarranted", adding that any such external imputation on our electoral and legal processes is "completely unacceptable."
- With inputs from agencies
