India has delivered a sharp rebuke to US Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal after she questioned the ongoing revision of electoral rolls in the country, with New Delhi's envoy in Washington calling her comments an unacceptable intrusion into the country's internal affairs.
India's Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, responded on X after the Democratic lawmaker from Washington state raised concerns about the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists. "The remarks by @RepJayapal on India's electoral and political processes are unacceptable interference in India's internal affairs," Kwatra wrote, describing India as "a vibrant democracy, with robust, independent constitutional institutions and a longstanding record of free and fair elections."
The envoy added that he remained open to a constructive conversation with the Congresswoman to address what he termed her misconceptions.
What prompted the exchange
A day earlier, Jayapal had said she was deeply concerned about what she called a purge of 130 million names from India's draft electoral rolls. She drew a parallel between the developments in India and the Trump administration's approach to voting rights in the United States, and said she stood with Indians engaging in non-violent protests against what she described as anti-democratic efforts.
The Election Commission's own statistics show that around 7.2 crore names were deleted from draft rolls in the first two phases of the revision exercise across 13 states and union territories. In the ongoing third phase, where draft lists have been published for 18 states and union territories, deletions stand at 6.16 crore.
The Commission has maintained that the exercise is aimed at updating the rolls by identifying dead, duplicate, shifted and otherwise ineligible entries. It has also said that any genuine voter left out of the process can seek inclusion through the claims and objections process and later through Form 6.
The exchange comes amid ongoing protests in India against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the revision exercise itself.
Sources:
NDTV: 'Internal Affair': Indian Envoy Slams US Lawmaker's SIR Voter List Row Remark
The New Indian Express: 'Unacceptable interference': Indian envoy slams US lawmaker's 'purging 130 million from voter rolls' remark
India's Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, responded on X after the Democratic lawmaker from Washington state raised concerns about the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists. "The remarks by @RepJayapal on India's electoral and political processes are unacceptable interference in India's internal affairs," Kwatra wrote, describing India as "a vibrant democracy, with robust, independent constitutional institutions and a longstanding record of free and fair elections."
The envoy added that he remained open to a constructive conversation with the Congresswoman to address what he termed her misconceptions.
What prompted the exchange
A day earlier, Jayapal had said she was deeply concerned about what she called a purge of 130 million names from India's draft electoral rolls. She drew a parallel between the developments in India and the Trump administration's approach to voting rights in the United States, and said she stood with Indians engaging in non-violent protests against what she described as anti-democratic efforts.
The Election Commission's own statistics show that around 7.2 crore names were deleted from draft rolls in the first two phases of the revision exercise across 13 states and union territories. In the ongoing third phase, where draft lists have been published for 18 states and union territories, deletions stand at 6.16 crore.
The Commission has maintained that the exercise is aimed at updating the rolls by identifying dead, duplicate, shifted and otherwise ineligible entries. It has also said that any genuine voter left out of the process can seek inclusion through the claims and objections process and later through Form 6.
The exchange comes amid ongoing protests in India against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the revision exercise itself.
Sources:
NDTV: 'Internal Affair': Indian Envoy Slams US Lawmaker's SIR Voter List Row Remark
The New Indian Express: 'Unacceptable interference': Indian envoy slams US lawmaker's 'purging 130 million from voter rolls' remark
