EAM S Jaishankar ‘schools’ UN official for his remarks on fairness of Indian elections

The External Affairs Minister of India, Subramaniam Jaishankar on April 4, 2024, in Thiruvananthapuram dismissed a senior UN official remark on elections in India, saying that he does not need the global body to tell him the elections in the country should be free and fair.

His comments in response came to a query regarding a spokesperson for the UN General Secretary statement that they hope in India, peoples political and civil rights were protected and everyone is able to vote in a free and fair atmosphere.

Jaishankar, who was here to campaign for his ministerial dialogue and BJP candidate, Rajeev Chandrashekhar in the Lok Sabha Polls also adding that the UN official made the comment on Indian elections last week in response to the very loaded question during a press briefing at the UN.

I don’t need the United Nations to tell me that our elections are free and fair. I have the people of India. The people of India will ensure that elections are free and fair. So don’t worry about it, the minsters told reporters during an interaction here.

Last week the spokesperson of the UN Secretary General Stephane Dujarric was asked about the political unrest in India ahead of the upcoming national election in the wake of the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and freezing of the opposition Congress Party bank accounts.

“What we very much hope that in India, as in any country that is having elections, that everyone’s rights are protected including political and civil rights and everyone is capable to vote in an atmosphere that is free and fair,” Dujarric said.

The UN Secretary General remarked were made one day after India strongly objected to remarks made by the US State Department on Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest. The United States and Germany too have spoken about the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal.

This prompted New Delhi to summon American and German diplomats. The Delhi CM was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21, 2024, for his alleged role as the kingpin in the national capital excise policy scam. He is the first person in India to be arrested as an incumbent chief minister.

While speaking during the weekly media briefing, the MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said “The recent remarks made by the US State Department are unwarranted. Any such external imputation on our electoral and legal processes is completely unacceptable. In India, the legal processes are driven only by the rule of law.