have reacted sharply to the American advice on handling of Anna protests. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) termed the US comments as “needless.”
US has asked India to exercise democratic restraint while dealing with peaceful protests. India hits back, says they do not need unwarranted advice.
India termed the remarks as “needless” and said freedoms of speech and expression, as well as, of peaceful assembly, are enshrined in the Constitution.
“We have seen the needless comments by the U.S. State Department spokesperson on handling of peaceful protests in India. Freedom of speech and expression, as well as, of peaceful assembly, are enshrined in the Constitution of India and exercised by citizens of this country of 1.2 billion people,” MEA spokesperson Vishnu Prakash said on Friday
State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland had prefaced her comments to which India took objection by observing that the U.S. supported the right of peaceful, non-violent protest around the world.
Replying to a question on the anti-corruption agitation, headed by Anna Hazare, department spokesperson Victoria Nuland, said in Washington, “As you know, we support the right of peaceful, non-violent protest around the world. That said, India is a democracy and we count on India to exercise appropriate democratic restraint in the way it deals with peaceful protest.”
BJP which support Anna movement has also slammed the US remarks on Anna Hazare, saying no country has any right or authority to advise India on how it handles protests.
“…India is a sovereign country and no country, including the US, has got any right or authoriuty to advise India as to how to handle the situation,” BJP chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said here.
He said the Indian democratic polity “with a vibrant Opposition led by BJP” is capable enough to handle all such situations in a constitutional manner consistent with democratic principles.
Congress has also dismissed comments by the US State Department on Anna Hazare’s planned agitation from August 16, saying the remarks were ‘completely oblivious to Indian reality’.
“We do wish the State Department spokesperson should have checked up facts, the context and the ground reality before making these sweeping generalisations which have no basis at all,” party spokesman Manish Tewari said.
He said the remarks reflected that the State Department spokesperson is ‘completely oblivious to the Indian reality’.
Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi, however, cautioned against reading too much into the statement. “This is a general statement. It should not be misinterpreted as any sort of criticism, much less indictment,” he said.