MEA draws parallels between vandalism at Red Fort and US Capitol Hill violence

A day after slamming foreign celebrities for their tweets backing farmer protests, India on Thursday drew a parallel between reactions within the country over the Republic Day vandalism at Red Fort by a group of protesting farmers and the violence at Capitol Hill, the seat of the US government on January 6.

“India and the United States are both vibrant democracies with shared values. The incidents of violence and vandalism at the historic Red Fort on 26 January have evoked similar sentiments and reactions in India as did the incidents on the Capitol Hill on 6 January and are being addressed as per our respective local laws,” the External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said at a media briefing.

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While on January 26, a group of farm protesters had entered Red Fort violating the agreed protest route and hoisted a religious flag at the iconic structure, an armed and angry mob of supporters of outgoing US President Donald Trump had stormed Capitol Hill on January 6 and clashed with the police soon after the US Congress convened to validate Joe Biden’s Presidential win.

The MEA statement came hours after the new US administration in its first reaction to the on-going farmers’ agitation in India in which it said it encouraged that any differences between the parties be resolved through dialogue.

On Wednesday, India had issued a terse statement asking foreign celebrities to ascertain facts before commenting after the tweets by celebrities like American pop singer Rihanna and Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg on the on-going farmer protest on the outskirts of Delhi.

Accusing "vested interest groups" of trying to mobilise international support on the protest against farm laws, the government has since then launched a massive pushback.

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On Thursday, welcoming the US State Department’s statement that said peaceful protests are a hallmark of any thriving democracy, India said “We have taken note of comments of the US State Department. It is important to see such comments in the context in which they were made and in their entirety.”

Latching on to remarks by the US State Department spokesperson that “in general, the US welcomes steps that would improve the efficiency of India's markets and attract greater private sector investment," the MEA flagged “as you can see, the US state department has acknowledged steps being taken by India towards agricultural reforms.”

Also read: I still stand with farmers: Greta Thunberg tweets after FIR

Asserting that any protest must be seen in the context of India's polity and ongoing efforts of government and concerned farmers' groups to resolve impasse, India countered the criticism building on the issue of internet ban near the farmer protest sites and said it was to prevent further violence.

“The temporary measures with regard to internet access in certain parts of the NCR region were therefore understandably undertaken to prevent further violence,” the MEA statement said.