- By Anushka Vats
- Fri, 05 Apr 2024 12:28 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
S Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister, on Thursday, dismissed a recent remark by a senior United Nations official regarding free and fair elections in India and said that he doesn't need the UN to tell him about the 'free and fair elections' in India, adding that the people of the country can ensure the same. S Jaishankar's remark came in response to a statement by a spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General that they "hope" that in India, people's "political and civil rights" are protected and everyone is able to vote in a "free and fair" atmosphere.
"I don't need the United Nations to tell me our elections should be free and fair. I have the people of India. The people of India will ensure that elections are free and fair. So, don't worry about it," said S Jaishankar who was campaigning for his ministerial colleague and BJP candidate Rajeev Chandrasekhar in Thiruvananthapuram.
UN Secretary-General's Remark
Earlier this week, Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, was asked about the "political unrest" in India ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The question was asked in connection of the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the freezing of the opposition Congress' bank accounts.
Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General (Image Credits: ANI)
"What we very much hope that in India, as in any country that is having elections, that everyone's rights are protected, including political and civil rights, and everyone is able to vote in an atmosphere that is free and fair," he had said.
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Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21 in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy case. He is currently in Tihar jail of the national capital, where AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Satyendra Jain are already lodged.