In a sharp riposte to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s criticism of India on the “human rights” issue, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on Wednesday that even New Delhi has concerns about human rights in America.
Blinken, at a press conference on Monday, said that the US is monitoring some recent “concerning developments in India, including a rise in human rights abuses by some government, police, and prison officials".
Responding to a question at a press conference in Washington, Jaishankar made it clear that the issue of human rights was not discussed during the 2+2 India-US meeting.
“This meeting was focused on pol-mil (political-military) issues,” he pointed out.
“People are entitled to have views about us. But we are also equally entitled to have views about their views and about the interests, and the lobbies and the vote banks which drive that. So, whenever there is a discussion, I can tell you that we will not be reticent about speaking out,” he said at the press conference.
Jaishankar said India also takes a view on other people’s human rights situation, including that of the United States.
“So, we take up human rights issues when they arise in this country, especially when they pertain to our community. And in fact, we had a case yesterday,” he explained.
Jaishankar was referring to the incident in which two Sikh men were attacked and robbed in a New York neighbourhood on Tuesday.
Asked about India’s purchase of Russian S-400 missile defence and the threat of US sanctions that could kick in under CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act), Jaishankar replied that it was US law and it was for the American administration to decide on it.
Jaishankar’s strong statements come a day after he defended India’s oil imports from Russia. He had pointed out that the quantity of oil India imports is what the European countries import from Russia in a single afternoon deal.
Also read: India-US 2+2 Dialogue: What Did S. Jaishankar Say To The US Over Purchase Of Russian Oil ?
