'Unwarranted, Unacceptable': India Slams US Remark On Congress, Kejriwal's Arrest

US had said that it's following the developments including the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and allegations of freezing of Congress bank accounts by the tax authorities.

A day after India summoned a US diplomat to lodge a formal protest against America's remark over Arvind Kejriwal's arrest, New Delhi today again termed the fresh remarks by the US on the issue 'unwarranted' and 'unacceptable'. Despite India lodging its formal protest, the White House Spokesperson again said that the US stands by its remark that due and fair judicial process should be followed in the case.

US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said, "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."

Reacting to the remark, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "Yesterday India lodged its strong objection and protest with the senior official from the US embassy with regard to the comments made by the US State Department. The recent remarks by the State Department are unwarranted. Any such external imputation on our 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. India is proud of its independent and robust democratic institutions. We are committed to protecting 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."

Reacting to the Baltimore Bridge Collapse incident, Jaiswal said, "Out of the 21 crew members, 20 are Indians. All of them are in good health. One of them is slightly injured. The stitches have been done. Our Embassies are in close touch with the Indians on board and also the local authorities in this matter."

On Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba's visit to India, the MEA Spokesperson said, "The visit of the Ukrainian Foreign Minister is happening on the invitation of EAM. He will be here on a two-day visit. He will have a bilateral engagement with EAM where they will review the intergovernmental commission that was held earlier. They will also discuss global issues and regional issues of common concern and there are several other engagements also lined up for the Ukrainian Foreign Minister."

On Indian Nationals seeking discharge from the Russian Army, he said that India is in constant touch with Russian authorities and has taken up the issue strongly seeking release of Indian nationals and discharged as early as possible.