'Never Heard...': Congress Reacts On US Envoy's Statement Concerning Manipur Violence

Congress MP Manish Tewari objected strongly to US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti's reported remarks on Manipur

New Delhi: Congress MP Manish Tewari on Friday objected strongly to US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti's reported remarks on Manipur and said he doubts if the new American envoy is cognisant of the torturous history of US-India ties and New Delhi's sensitivity about interference, perceived or real, in its internal affairs. Speaking at a press conference in Kolkata on Thursday, Garcetti reportedly said the violence and killings in Manipur are a matter of "human concern" and the US is "ready to assist" India in dealing with the situation "if asked".

Reacting to the remarks, Tewari said on Twitter, "To the best of my recollection going back at least four decades in public life, I have never heard an US Ambassador making a statement of this nature about the internal affairs of India." "We faced challenges in Punjab, J-K , northeast over the decades and surmounted those with sagacity and wisdom," the former Union minister said.

Even when Robin Raphel would be "loquacious" on Jammu and Kashmir in the 1990s, US ambassadors in India were circumspect, he said. Raphel is a former US diplomat who looked after south and central Asian affairs.

"I doubt if the new @USAmbIndia @ericgarcetti is cognisant of the convoluted and torturous history of US-India relations and our sensitivity about interference perceived or real, well intentioned or mal intentioned into our internal affairs," the Congress MP from Punjab said.