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US dismisses Russian allegations of meddling in Indian elections
US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said that Washington does not involve itself in election matters of other countries and respects India's sovereignty.
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US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller during an address / Screengrab X/@StateDeptSpox
US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller on May.9 dismissed Russian allegations of American interference in the ongoing Indian general elections.
"No, of course, we don't involve ourselves in elections in India as we don't involve ourselves in elections anywhere in the world. Those are decisions for the people of India to make," said Miller.
Miller was responding to a question from a reporter at his daily press conference pertaining to a statement from Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
Zakharova had alleged that the US was trying to unbalance the internal political situation in India at the time of elections by making "unfounded accusations" about Indian involvement in a foiled assassination plot of pro-Khalistan Sikh leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on US soil.
"Regular unfounded accusations by the United States against New Delhi... we see that they groundlessly accuse not only India but also many other states…of violating religious freedoms are a reflection of the United States' misunderstanding of the national mentality, the historical context of the development of the Indian state and disrespect for India as a state," Zakharova said in Moscow on May.8.
In Washington, Miller said the accusations are part of an ongoing legal matter that is yet to be presented to a jury. "There is a publicly returned indictment that contains alleged facts. They are allegations until they're proven before a jury that anyone can go and read. I won't speak to them here because of course it's an ongoing legal matter and I'll leave it at that."
According to The Washington Post investigative report published on Apr.29, the individual listed as "CC-1" in the US indictment that was unsealed in November 2023 in relation to the Pannun case was identified as RAW officer Vikram Yadav. Yadav is an official from the Research and Analysis Wing (an Indian government agency).
Indian External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had refuted the claims saying they were “speculative and unnecessary” especially when an investigation was going on in the matter.
Pannun, who serves as the general counsel for Sikhs for Justice, a New York-based organization, is classified as a terrorist by the Indian Home Ministry.
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