"Unwarranted and uninformed": MEA condemns US Congresswoman's comments on India's electoral process

Responding to a question during a bi-weekly media briefing in New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, "We find the remarks of the Congresswoman unwarranted and uninformed and tantamount to interfering in the electoral practices of a fellow democracy. This is an approach that undermines democracy itself."

The official reaction followed expressions of concern by Jayapal regarding specific reports about names being removed from India's electoral rolls.

The Democrat from Washington state posted on X, "I am deeply concerned about the actions of the Indian government to purge 130 million people from the voting rolls."

Earlier on Thursday, Washington time, India's Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, firmly dismissed Jayapal's allegations regarding a voter purge.

Characterising her statements as "unacceptable interference in India's internal affairs", Kwatra wrote on X, "The remarks by Rep. Jayapal on India's electoral and political processes are unacceptable interference in India's internal affairs."

He added, "India is a vibrant democracy with robust, independent constitutional institutions and a longstanding record of free and fair elections. Always open to constructive conversation with the Congresswoman to dispel her misconceptions."

Born in Chennai, Jayapal previously served as chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and has clashed with New Delhi before, notably moving a 2019 House resolution urging the lifting of communication curbs in Kashmir.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India has been conducting a nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in multiple phases. The Commission clarified that lists identifying absent, shifted, deceased and duplicate voters were publicly displayed and shared with political parties, noting that individuals whose names had been deleted could apply for enrolment at any time. (ANI)