India Rejects US, Germany Comments on Opposition Leader's Arrest

Facts

• India's Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday rejected recent remarks made by US and German diplomats concerning the arrest of opposition leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as part of a corruption case.¹
• Defending India's legal processes and calling its judiciary 'independent,' the External Affairs Ministry said foreign states must be 'respectful of the sovereignty and internal affairs' of other nations.¹
• On Wednesday, India summoned the US Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Gloria Berbena, two days after the US said it was “monitoring” the arrest and expected a “fair, transparent, and timely legal process.”²
• Later, on Saturday, India summoned Georg Enzweiler, Germany's deputy chief of mission in the country, over comments reportedly made by German officials' that they expect India to uphold 'basic democratic principles.'³
• Kejriwal was arrested last week by the Indian government's money laundering watchdog, the Enforcement Directorate, over alleged corruption in the state of Delhi's now-withdrawn excise policy.⁴
• India's wider opposition, which includes Kejriwal's Aam Admi Party, has alleged the arrest is part of a broader conspiracy by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to weaken leaders who could challenge him in this year's national election.⁵

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²Firstpost, ³Dw.Com, ⁴ThePrint and ⁵NDTV.com.

Narratives

• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Sputnik India. The US and Germany's responses to Arvind Kejriwal's arrest exposes their anti-India agenda. Kejriwal is now facing protests from his own supporters. Western media's 'crackdown on opposition' label is part of the US' interference against Narendra Modi's government. India's democracy and judiciary must be defended against such unfair scrutiny.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Truthout. India's right-wing government is misusing the criminal justice system to crack down on the opposition ahead of the national election. Besides Arvind Kejriwal and his party, politically motivated coercion has also been deployed against the Indian National Congress, whose bank accounts were frozen amid tax disputes. The US has also expressed concern over religious and press freedoms under Modi's rule.

Predictions