THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Thursday dismissed a senior
UN official
‘s recent remark on
elections in India
, saying that he does not need the global body to tell that the elections in the country should be “free and fair”.
His comments came in response to a query regarding a spokesperson for
UN secretary general
statement that they “hope” that in India, people’s “
political and civil rights
” were protected and everyone is able to vote in a “free & fair” atmosphere.
Jaishankar, who was in the city to campaign for his ministerial colleague and BJP candidate Rajeev Chandrasekhar in the
Lok Sabha polls
, also said that the UN official made the comment on the Indian elections last week in response to a “very loaded question” during a press briefing at the United Nations.
“I don’t need the United Nations to tell me our elections should be free & 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,” the minister told reporters.
Last week, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric was asked about the “political unrest” in India ahead of the upcoming elections in the wake of the arrest of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and the freezing of the opposition Congress’s bank accounts.
