Discussion on the farm laws by the British Parliament amounts to “gross interference” in the domestic affairs of India, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla told British High Commissioner Alex Ellis on Tuesday. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the envoy was summoned and a diplomatic note of protest was handed over to him.
“Foreign Secretary made clear that this represented a gross interference in the politics of another democratic country. He advised that British MPs should refrain from practising vote bank politics by misrepresenting events, especially in relation to another fellow democracy,” the MEA said.
The demarche came a day after the U.K. Parliament discussed the laws. The High Commission in the U.K. in a statement had said the discussion was aimed to ‘mislead’ the British Indian community about the laws and the status of the minority communities in India.
ADVERTISEMENT
Following the debate, several British MPs took to social media and expressed support for the prolonged protest by the farmers. “Indian diaspora and the voice of Indian farmers was heard today in Parliament — the U.K. government must now act,” said Claudia Webbe, Leicester East MP.
The MEA said the Foreign Secretary “conveyed strong opposition to the unwarranted and tendentious discussion on agricultural reform in India in the British Parliament”.
ADVERTISEMENT
Mr. Ellis took charge last month in a move that was viewed as part of the U.K.’s preparation for Prime Minister Boris Johnson's visit possibly in April. Both sides have been in discussion over bilateral and multilateral issues in recent months as the visit is being planned. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar spoke to Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on March 3. Apart from cooperation in other areas, both nations have been working together in the U.N. where the U.K. in February held the Presidency at the Security Council with India serving as a non-permanent member.