'We don't involve ourselves in elections in India': US on Russian Foreign Ministry's allegations

The US State Department on Thursday dismissed Russia's allegations of the US interfering in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in India. The State Department added that those are decisions for the people of India to make.

"No, of course, we don't involve ourselves in elections in India as we don't involve ourselves in elections anywhere in the world. Those are decisions for the people of India to make," State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said at his daily press conference. 

He was responding to a question on Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova's statement in Moscow in this regard when asked about a recent Washington Post article alleging that a Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) officer was involved in an alleged plot to kill Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil last year.

Zakharova said that the US has made "regular unfounded accusations against New Delhi". She added that many allegations made by the US, including violation of religious freedoms, are a reflection of the United States' misunderstanding of the national mentality, the historical context of the development of the Indian state and disrespect for India as a state.  

In its latest, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) criticised India for alleged violations of religious freedom and other issues. The report called for designating India and 16 other nations as "countries of particular concern" for "engaging in or tolerating particularly severe violations of the right to freedom of religion or belief."

Responding to this, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) called the report "biased". The MEA further said that the USCIRF continued to "publish anti-India propaganda" masking it as being a part of its annual report. 

She described it as a colonial mentality of the US administration. "The reason is that they try to unbalance the internal political situation in India in order to complicate the (ongoing) general parliamentary elections. That is part of meddling into India's internal affairs," RT news quoted her as saying.

Taking a jibe at The Washington Post, she said that the US-based news outlet should use the expression 'repressive regime' in relation to Washington. "It is difficult to imagine a more repressive regime than Washington, both in domestic and international affairs," she added.