DM Monitoring
New Delhi: Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Anurag Srivastava on Thursday compared the ongoing farmers’ protests in India over new agricultural laws to the January 6 storming of the US Capitol by supporters of former US president Donald Trump, while hailing the two countries as “vibrant democracies”. The MEA spokesperson was responding to an earlier statement from the US State Department calling for differences to be resolved through dialogue in the ongoing confrontation between protesting Indian farmers and the Modi-led BJP government. He said the incidents of “violence and vandalism at the historic Red Fort on Jan 26 have evoked similar sentiments as did the incidents on the Capitol Hill”. Srivastava further stated that India and the US were “vibrant democracies with shared values” based on their similar reactions to the incidents.
Srivastava said India had “taken note” of the statement but it was important to judge such comments in their original context “and in their entirety”. “Any protest must be seen in the context of India’s democratic ethos and polity and [the] ongoing efforts of [the] government and concerned farmer groups to resolve the impasse.”
He pointed out that the US State Department had acknowledged in its statement the steps taken by the Indian government towards agricultural reforms. The MEA spokesperson said the protests were being addressed in accordance with the respective local laws and temporary measures like curtailing internet services in the National Capital Region were “understandably undertaken to prevent further violence”.
“We encourage that any differences between the parties be resolved through dialogue,” the US State Department had said in an earlier statement that also offered general support to government measures to “improve the efficiency of India’s markets and attract greater private sector investment.”
The statement had said “peaceful protests are a hallmark of any thriving democracy” while recognising the validity of the farmers’ protests. It also added that “unhindered access to information, including the internet, is fundamental to the freedom of expression”. India similarly slammed international celebrities on Wednesday for making comments in support of protesting farmers as inaccurate and irresponsible and said vested interest groups were trying to build opinion against the country.
The Indian foreign ministry said, “Before rushing to comment on such matters, we would urge that the facts be ascertained, and a proper understanding of the issues at hand be undertaken,”
US singer Rihanna, climate change activist Greta Thunberg and US lawyer and activist Meena Harris, the niece of Vice-President Kamala Harris, had made comments on social media drawing attention to the plight of the protesting farmers. Tens of thousands of farmers have camped out on the outskirts of New Delhi for more than two months, demanding the withdrawal of new agricultural laws that they say benefit private buyers at the expense of growers.
