Shashi Tharoor justifies British Parliament’s right to discuss agricultural reforms in India

After New Delhi summoned the UK envoy on Tuesday over “unwarranted discussion” in the British Parliament on agricultural reforms in India, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has justified the debate, saying that in a democracy “you are free to discuss whatever you want”.

“Just as we, in India, can discuss say the Palestine-Israel issue as we’ve done in the past or we can discuss if we so choose any other domestic issue of a foreign country, British Parliament has the same right,” said Tharoor, who was also MoS External Affairs during the UPA regime.

“I don’t blame the Government of India for doing its job, for speaking up for its point of view. But we must recognise there is another point of view and that in democracies, elected representatives are free to air their points of view,” he added.

“I don’t think there is something so surprising. We should take it as normal give and takes that happen between democracies,” added Tharoor.

READ MORE: ‘Unwarranted and tendentious’: India summons envoy over UK Parliament discussion on farm laws

India had summoned British High Commissioner over an “unwarranted discussion” in the British Parliament on agricultural reforms in India. Farmers have been camping at several Delhi border points for over three months now demanding a complete repeal of the three farm laws.

The Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday “conveyed strong opposition to the unwarranted and tendentious discussion on agricultural reforms in India in the British Parliament”.

“Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla 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 statement said.

(With ANI inputs)

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