US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday declined to address ongoing protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the Election Commission of India (ECI), describing the demonstrations as an internal political issue for the country to resolve.
“It’s a domestic political matter. I’m not going to get involved in their politics,” Rubio said. “This is a democracy. They have elections here, so I’m not going to opine on their domestic political matters.” He added that Washington would not comment on
internal affairs, leaving them “for the Indian people to decide and navigate.”
Speaking to reporters, Rubio pushed back against any suggestion that the US should weigh in, including references to concerns raised by UN human rights experts on police action on protestors. According to a Department of State release, Rubio characterised the UN experts as “the oxymoron” when the topic was raised.
Rubio drew parallels with political activity in the US, noting that protests occur regularly there and generally signal open political debate and differing viewpoints. He drew a distinction between orderly expression and violence, referring to unrest in parts of Europe involving property damage, break-ins, and arson as something separate from legitimate protest.
“In many ways, the fact that people are out there expressing themselves — I’m not talking about India; in any country in the world — is the sign that this is a country where there’s political discourse and so forth and differences of opinion,” he said.
The remarks come after more than 20 UN human rights experts in Geneva on Tuesday voiced alarm over what they called a repeatedly heavy-handed police response to peaceful, youth-led demonstrations in the national Capital. The experts urged authorities to ensure accountability for any reported human rights violations linked to the protests.