iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
The ongoing farmers’ protest in India gets fresh support from more influential figures from the US, urging the admiration to address the issue to the Indian government.
Now 7 prominent US lawmakers, including Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, have written to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, urging him to raise the issue of farmers’ protest in India with his Indian counterpart.
The Modi-led government has been getting a lot of criticism from leaders across the world for the way the issue is being handled, where the fundamental idea of a democracy is at stake.
India has repeatedly repelled all interventions and pleas from all foreign leaders calling them “ill-informed” and “unwarranted”, asserting that the matter pertains to the internal affairs of a democratic country.
“We have seen some ill-informed comments… relating to farmers in India. Such comments are unwarranted, especially when pertaining to the internal affairs of a democratic country,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said earlier this month.
In the letter written to Pompeo, the lawmakers said, “This is an issue of particular concern to Sikh Americans linked to Punjab, although it also heavily impacts the Indian Americans belonging to the other Indian States.
“Many Indian Americans are directly affected as they have family members and ancestral land in Punjab and are concerned for the well-being of their families in India. In view of this serious situation, we urge you to contact your Indian counterpart to reinforce the United States’ commitment to the freedom of political speech abroad,” they said.
In their letter, the lawmakers said that the U.S. as a nation that is familiar with political protests can offer counsel to India during their current period of social disturbance.
“As national legislators, we respect the right of the government of India to determine national policy, in compliance with existing law. We also acknowledge the rights of those in India and abroad who are currently protesting peacefully against agricultural laws that many Indian farmers see as an attack on their economic security,” the lawmakers said.
The government has been stubbornly claiming that the three bills passed are for the betterment of the farmers and to push India’s agriculture to the next level. However, the farmers who are rooted in the land thinks otherwise.
There have been multiple rounds of talks between representatives of the protestors and the Indian government but the logjam continues.
In addition to Ms. Jayapal, the letter has been signed by Congressmen Donald Norcross, Brendan F. Boyle, Brian Fitzpatrick, Mary Gay Scanlon, Debbie Dingell, and David Trone.
Over the past few weeks, more than a dozen U.S. Congressmen have expressed their concerns on the ongoing protest by the farmers in India.
Earlier this month, Congressman John Garamendi, Co-Chair of the American Sikh Caucus, along with Congressman Jim Costa and Congresswoman Shelia Jackson Lee — members of the American Sikh Caucus — sent a letter to Indian Ambassador to the U.S. Taranjit Singh Sandhu, expressing solidarity with the protestors and defending their right to peaceful protest.
Democratic American lawmaker David Trone on Tuesday urged the Indian government to provide safety to the protesting farmers and hailed the recent offers of dialogue and a proposal from India’s Supreme Court to set up mediation.