On US Remarks On Human Rights Situation In India, S Jaishankar's Counter

Secretary of State Antony Blinken had said that the US is monitoring some recent "concerning developments" in India, including a rise in "human rights abuses" by some officials.

People are entitled to have views about India's policies but at the same time New Delhi was "equally entitled" to have views about them, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday in remarks seen as the first official reaction to the recent comments by the US on "human rights abuses" in the country.

At a joint news conference after the 2+2 dialogue on Monday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken had said that the US is monitoring some recent "concerning developments" in India, including a rise in "human rights abuses" by some government, police, and prison officials. The comments were made by Mr Blinken at the joint news conference that was addressed by Mr Jaishankar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Mr Blinken did not elaborate. Mr Singh and Mr Jaishankar, who spoke after Blinken at the briefing, did not comment on the human rights issue.

"Look, people are entitled to have views about us. But we are also equally entitled to have views about their views and about the interests, and the lobbies and the vote banks which drive that. So, whenever there is a discussion, I can tell you that we will not be reticent about speaking out," Mr Jaishankar said at a press briefing Wednesday, adding that the human rights issue was not a topic of discussion during the India US 2+2 ministerial meeting this week.