India Summons British High Commissioner Over UK Parliament Discussing Farmer Protest

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla told the envoy that discussions in the British Parliament on India's agri reforms represented a gross interference in politics of another democratic country.

India on Tuesday summoned the British High Commissioner and conveyed strong opposition over the unwarranted, tendentious discussion on farm laws in UK parliament. The statement comes after the British Parliament last evening deliberated on issues surrounding the “use of force” on protesters who were opposing the agricultural laws at several border points of Delhi for more than 100 days.

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla told the envoy that discussions in the British Parliament on India’s agri reforms represented a gross interference in politics of another democratic country, the Ministry of External Affairs stated.

The statement mentioned that the foreign secretary also advised the envoy that British MPs should refrain from practising “vote bank politics by misrepresenting events”, especially in relation to another fellow democracy.

“Foreign Secretary made clear that this represented a gross interference in the politics of another democratic country,” it added.

“He advised that British MPs should refrain from practising vote bank politics by misrepresenting events, especially in relation to another fellow democracy,” the MEA stated.

“We deeply regret that rather than a balanced debate, false assertions without substantiation or facts were made, casting aspersions on the largest functioning democracy in the world and its institutions,” the high commission issued a statement.

Farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, have been camping at several Delhi border points since November last year, demanding that the government repeal the three new farm laws and provide legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for their crops.

Farmer leaders have been firm on their demand for repeal of three new farm laws enacted in September, which they claim will benefit corporates and end the mandi system and the MSP regime.