India government called in the British High Commissioner to express its disapproval of the discussions on farmers’ protest and press freedom in the British parliament.
A career diplomat Alexander Ellis has recently been appointed British high commissioner to India.
The debate in the UK parliament had evoked a sharp response from the Indian High Commission in London.
The High Commission said in a statement:
“We deeply regret that rather than a balanced debate, false assertions – without substantiation or facts – were made, casting aspersions on the largest functioning democracy in the world and its institutions.”
Recently, the UK government officially conducted a debate on the protests in India.
During this 90-minutes debate several MPs of the Labour party, Liberal democrats and the Scottish National Party participated.
These members raised concern over the Indian government’s reaction to the protests.
The UK government had responded that concerns will be raised with India when both Prime Ministers meet in person.
The Indian government had summoned the British envoy and conveyed “strong opposition to unwarranted and tendentious discussion on agricultural reforms in India in the British Parliament”.
The Foreign Secretary has made it clear that this debate represented a gross interference in politics of another democratic country.
The foreign ministry said in a statement:
“He advised that British MPs should refrain from practicing votebank politics by misrepresenting events, especially in relation to another fellow democracy.”
