On Tuesday, India summoned British envoy Alex Ellis to lodge a protest against what it said was an “unwarranted and tendentious” debate in the British Parliament where lawmakers criticised the Indian government’s handling of the farmers’ protest. The debate was held on Monday in response to a public petition which garnered more than 115,000 signatures. MPs and members from Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democratic and Scottish National Party had urged Boris Johnson to raise their concerns about the handling of the protest and media freedoms with the Indian government.Most of the British MPs acknowledged the Indian government’s agricultural reforms were a domestic matter but noted their constituents had strong links with India’s farm sector and were upset by what they described as the use of force against protesting farmers. Conservative MP Theresa Villiers was the only one of about 20 lawmakers who joined the debate to defend the Indian government’s actions.Following the debate, the Indian High Commission in London High Commission of India issued a strong statement as it deeply regretted 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”.In its statement it noted, “It is also a matter of concern that, once again, comments were made to mislead the British Indian community, raising doubts about treatment of minorities in India, alleged human rights violations in ‘Kashmir’ etc. Foreign media, including the British media, are present in India and have witnessed the events under discussion first-hand. The question of lack of freedom of the media in India does not arise.”Ellis was summoned by foreign secretary Harsh Shringla and served a demarche or formal diplomatic representation that conveyed India’s “strong opposition to the unwarranted and tendentious discussion on agricultural reforms in India in the British Parliament”, according to a statement from the external affairs ministry. Nigel Adams, the UK minister of state for Asia, while responding on behalf of the British government, said London will continue to monitor the farmers’ protest “incredibly closely”. He added, “Where we have concerns, we will continue to raise them with the Indian government while respecting the fact that these agricultural reforms are an internal matter.” Adams acknowledged the “strong feelings” about the farmers’ protest and press freedom in India and noted these issues had caused “alarm among UK citizens with ties to India”. He added, “We look to the government of India to uphold the freedoms and rights guaranteed to its people by its Constitution and by the international instruments to which India is party.” Several Indian-origin British MPs such as Virendra Sharma, Nadia Whittome and Seema Malhotra expressed concern about the use of force against protesting farmers. Labour Party MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, who has been at the forefront of efforts to raise the protests in Britain, said human rights are a universal issue and criticised the arrest of civil society activists and journalists.
