US backs reform, flags Internet lower; India attracts Red Fort-Capitol parallel

A day after the Ministry of External Affairs slammed “celebrities and others” — within the wake of feedback by pop icon Rihanna and teenage local weather activist Greta Thunberg in assist of farmer protests — the Biden administration, making its first diplomatic intervention with New Delhi after assuming workplace, waded into the problem of protests and Internet restrictions in and across the protest websites.
Stating that it “encouraged” variations between the events to be resolved “through dialogue”, the US administration “welcomed steps that would improve the efficiency of India’s markets and attract greater private sector investment” — a reference to the three farm legal guidelines on the centre of the protest. The remarks had been seen by New Delhi as an endorsement of the legal guidelines.
On Internet restrictions on the protest websites alongside the Delhi border, the US administration stated it recognises that “unhindered access to information, including the Internet, is fundamental to the freedom of expression and a hallmark of a thriving democracy.”
New Delhi too didn’t maintain again and responded to the US administration by drawing parallels between the vandalism at Red Fort on January 26 and what passed off at Capitol Hill on January 6, and stated how these had been being “addressed as per our respective local laws”.
But what began as India’s response to personal people has now led to a diplomatic trade on a problem which New Delhi considers an “internal matter”.
Washington’s remarks on Internet restrictions isn’t new to India. The earlier administration below President Trump had raised the problem of Internet shutdowns within the context of Jammu and Kashmir following the revocation of Article 370.
Responding to the remarks Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs stated it has taken “note” of the feedback by the US State Department.
Underlining that India and the US are “vibrant democracies with shared values”, Anurag Srivastava, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, stated: “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.”

Responding to questions at a briefing, Srivastava stated: “It is important to see such comments in the context in which they were made and in their entirety. As you can see, the US state department has acknowledged steps being taken by India towards agricultural reforms.”
“Any protests must be seen in the context of India’s democratic ethos and polity, and the ongoing efforts of the Government and the concerned farmer groups to resolve the impasse,” he stated.
“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 spokesperson stated.
Earlier within the day, the feedback from the Biden administration had been first made in Washington DC by the US State Department, in response to questions by The Wall Street Journal, and was later reiterated by the US embassy spokesperson in New Delhi.
“We recognize that peaceful protests are a hallmark of any thriving democracy, and note that the Indian Supreme Court has stated the same. We encourage that any differences between the parties be resolved through dialogue. In general, the United States welcomes steps that would improve the efficiency of India’s markets and attract greater private sector investment,” the US embassy spokesperson stated.
Sources instructed The Indian Express that the federal government’s detailed assertion Wednesday had led to the US State Department wading into the farmer protests, and New Delhi’s response adopted.
Sources stated the view in New Delhi is that the federal government won’t take feedback from “state actors” or “non-state actors” mendacity down, particularly within the extremely amplified social media zone.
While it was not the norm to answer personal people and the MEA departed from that norm by reacting to tweets from Rihanna and Thunberg, sources stated the view inside the authorities is that “diplomacy has to be dynamic” and it should take into consideration “social media realities, where influencers tend to shape the opinions of many”.
“Past governments did not deal with such a highly active social media zone, and it is important for the government to respond to criticism, irrespective of the source, government or non-government,” a senior authorities functionary stated.