By SAT News Desk
MELBOURNE, 10 March 2021: Relations between India and the United Kingdom seem to have soured after the British Parliament (House of Commons) debated a petition expressing concern over the farmers’ agitation in India and New Delhi calling it “gross interference” in its domestic affairs.
The House of Commons debated a “Petition – Urge the Indian Government to ensure safety of protestors & press freedom” on 8 March 2021 saying, “The Government must make a public statement on the #kissanprotests & press freedoms. India is the worlds largest democracy & democratic engagement and freedom of the press are fundamental rights and a positive step towards creating a India that works for all. A public statement by the Government will encourage transparency & accountability in the worlds Largest Democracy.” The petition moved by Gurcharan Singh, had 115,816 signatures. The petition is open for signatures till June 2021.
UK GOVT RESPONSE IN FULL TEXT:
“The UK Government is conscious of the level of concern regarding the farmers’ protests in India. We appreciate that there are strong feelings in the United Kingdom towards the issue and that many British citizens have family ties to farming communities in India.
Through our High Commission in New Delhi and Deputy High Commissions across India, the Government is following developments closely. We understand that the Government of India has held several rounds of talks with farmers’ unions, and that in January the Supreme Court put three farming laws on hold and designated an expert committee to scrutinise the laws.
As would be expected between close partners, we have constructive discussions on a wide range of issues with India. The UK considers farming reform a matter for the Government of India. We consider the right to peaceful protest, freedom of speech, and internet freedom vital in any democracy. We also recognise that governments have the power to enforce law and order if a protest crosses the line into illegality. We look to the Indian government to uphold all freedoms and rights guaranteed in India’s strong constitution.
The Foreign Secretary discussed the farmers’ protests with his Indian counterpart during his visit to India in December 2020. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State responsible for South Asia and for Human Rights, speaks regularly to his opposite number in the Ministry of External Affairs and to the Indian High Commissioner in the UK. Human rights issues form part of their dialogue.
An independent media is essential to any robust democracy. The UK is committed to media freedom, and to championing democracy and human rights around the world. In 2018, the UK Government launched the Media Freedom Campaign to shine a global spotlight on media freedom and increase the cost to those abusing media freedom and persecuting journalists.
We regularly engage with India’s vibrant media, which promotes lively debate across the political spectrum. The British High Commission has undertaken project work such as the annual South Asia Journalism Fellowship Programme, under our flagship Chevening scholarship program, which funded 17 fellows, including seven from India in 2019. In 2020, we supported the Thomson Reuters Foundation to run workshops for journalists to report on a range of human rights matters.
The UK Government will continue to follow the farmers’ protests closely. We respect that agricultural reforms are a matter for India, and will continue to champion human rights globally.”
Foreign & Commonwealth Office, 15 February 2021 (petition.parliament.uk/petitions/563473
INDIA’S RESPONSE IN TEXT
The Indian government has responded to the House of Commons debate with a démarche to the British High Commissioner calling it an “unwarranted discussion in the British Parliament on agricultural reforms in India” on March 9, 2021:
“Foreign Secretary summoned the British High Commissioner and conveyed strong opposition to the unwarranted and tendentious discussion on agricultural reforms in India in the British Parliament. Foreign Secretary made clear that this represented a gross interference in the politics of another democratic country. He advised that British MPs should refrain from practising vote bank politics by misrepresenting events, especially in relation to another fellow democracy.”
