‘Her misconceptions’: India rejects US lawmaker's remarks on SIR

NEW DELHI: India’s Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, on Thursday strongly pushed back against Indian-origin Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal's social media post on the country's democratic framework and electoral procedures, calling it an "interference" in India's internal affairs.

"The remarks by @RepJayapal on India’s electoral and political processes are unacceptable interference in India’s internal affairs," he posted on X. Emphasising India’s longstanding record of conducting free and fair elections, Kwatra invited Jayapal for a “constructive conversation” to address her concerns. "India is a vibrant democracy, with robust, independent constitutional institutions and a longstanding record of free and fair elections. Always open to constructive conversation with the Congresswoman to dispel her misconceptions," he added.

Kwatra's response came after Jayapal alleged a sweeping removal of citizens from India's draft electoral list. "I am deeply concerned about the actions of the Indian government to purge 130 million people from the voting rolls. This appears to be a similar playbook to what the Trump Administration is doing here at home to undermine voting rights in a democracy," the Congresswoman said.

"Protecting democracies everywhere is essential work, and the Indian people — like the American people — deserve free and fair elections. Non-violent resistance movements are essential in these moments and I stand with the Indian people who are engaging in non-violent protests to counter anti-democratic efforts in India," she wrote in a follow-up post.

Her remarks came amid the ongoing protests in India against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls exercise. According to data released by the Election Commission (EC), approximately 72 million entries were removed from draft electoral rolls across 13 states and Union territories during the initial two phases of the SIR.

Furthermore, during the ongoing third phase, which encompasses the publication of draft lists across 18 states and UTs, the number of excluded electors totals 61.6 million. Addressing these omissions, the EC clarified that if a legitimate elector's name was accidentally omitted during the SIR process, the individual retains the right to apply for reinstatement through the claims and objections mechanism, followed by the submission of Form 6.