US Stands Firm Despite Indian Opposition: Reiterates Remarks On Arvind Kejriwal's Arrest

The United States has hit back after India summoned the US diplomat for interfering in India's internal matters and commenting unnecessarily on Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal's arrest, which was done by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 23 in connection with money laundering related to now scrapped Delhi Liquor Policy. The United States reiterated that the world is watching what is happening in a democratic country while advocating for "fair, transparent, timely legal processes" in the high-profile case.

Replying to a question on India summoning Gloria Berbena, the US Acting Deputy Chief in New Delhi, the US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said "With respect to your first question, I'm not going to talk about any private diplomatic conversations, but of course, what we have said publicly is what I just said from here, that we encourage fair, transparent, timely legal processes. We don't think anyone should object to that."

He added that the US is also aware of freezing Opposition (Congress) bank accounts ahead of the elections. "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," the US representative said.

"States are expected to be respectful of the sovereignty and internal affairs of others, and this responsibility is even more so in the case of fellow democracies. It could otherwise end up setting unhealthy precedents," Mathew further added.

Mathew's comments came after a 40-minute meeting between the diplomates at the foreign ministry's South Block office, where India underlined objection to comments over India's internal matters.