The United States on Tuesday said that it was following Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s case in Indian courts and are engaged with the Centre over its shared commitment to democratic values, including freedom of expression.
Rahul Gandhi was held guilty by a Surat court in a 2019 defamation case over his “Modi surname” remarks and was subsequently disqualified as a Lok Sabha MP.
Reacting to the development, Vedant Patel, the US Department of State’s principal deputy spokesperson, said that his country, in its engagements with India, continues to highlight the importance of democratic principles. He also said that respect for rule of law and judicial independence is a “cornerstone” of any democracy.
“We are watching Mr Gandhi’s case in Indian courts and engage with the government of India on our shared commitment to democratic values including of course, freedom of expression. In our engagements with our Indian partners, we continue to highlight the importance of democratic principles and the protection of human rights and freedom of expression as key to strengthening both our democracies,” Patel was quoted as saying by ANI.
Gandhi was disqualified as the Lok Sabha member of Parliament from Kerala’s Wayanad, evoking sharp reactions from the Congress and other Opposition parties.
Asked if the US was engaging with India or Rahul Gandhi, he said, “I don’t have any specific engagements to read out… but as I am sure you know some of these covered this department for some time it is normal and standard for us to engage with members of opposition parties in any country where we have bilateral relationships but I don’t have any specific engagement to read out.”
#WATCH | “Respect for rule of law & judicial independence is a cornerstone of any democracy. We’re watching Mr Gandhi’s case in Indian court …. “:Vedant Patel, US Principal Dy Spokesperson on defamation case against Rahul Gandhi over his ‘Modi surname’ remark pic.twitter.com/WFUaAcBWd0
— ANI (@ANI) March 27, 2023