On Tuesday, Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar cautioned other nations against making political statements concerning India's internal matters, warning that such actions would prompt a robust response from India.

In response to questions regarding recent statements from US, Germany, and UN representatives concerning Indian politics following the arrest of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar emphasised the principle of "Maryada," highlighting the importance of respecting each nation's sovereignty and refraining from interference in their internal affairs.

Speaking at a press conference in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on Tuesday, EAM Jaishankar emphasised that these are old and bad habits.

“…These are old habits. These are bad habits…The word I use is ‘Maryada’ among countries, we are sovereign countries. We should not be interfering in each other’s internal affairs. We should not be passing comments about each other’s politics,” he said.

The foreign minister also underscored the importance of adhering to established etiquettes, conventions, and practices in international relations. He cautioned that any country commenting on India's politics would receive a forceful response from the government.

"We sincerely urge all the countries in the world that by all means you have your views about the world, but no country has the right to comment on another country's politics especially in situations like this," Jaishankar said.

Last week, when questioned about India's summoning of a US diplomat regarding comments on Delhi CM Kejriwal's arrest and the freezing of Congress party's bank accounts, US State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller responded that they are closely monitoring these developments.

“We continue to follow these actions closely, including the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. We are also aware of the Congress party’s allegations that tax authorities have frozen some of their bank accounts in a manner that will make it challenging to effectively campaign in the upcoming elections,” Miller added.

“And we encourage fair, transparent and timely legal processes for each of these issues,” he stressed.

The Ministry of External Affairs asserted that India takes pride in its "robust and independent" democratic institutions. It described the comments made by the US State Department regarding the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal as "unwarranted," emphasising that any external insinuation regarding India's electoral and legal procedures is "completely unacceptable."

This comes after the US State Department doubled down on its remarks, a day after a US diplomat was summoned to communicate India’s “strong objections” to the earlier remarks.

Before this incident, India summoned the German Deputy Chief of Mission in New Delhi to express a strong protest against remarks made by the foreign office spokesperson regarding the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.

Last Friday, a spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry, when asked about Kejriwal's arrest, stated that he was entitled to a fair trial.

Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate for alleged money laundering in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.

Image source: ANI