India Responds Firmly to US Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal's Critique of Electoral Roll Changes

India's Strong Rebuttal to US Lawmaker's Comments

New Delhi: On Friday, India dismissed the remarks made by US Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, which questioned the Election Commission's recent updates to the electoral rolls, labeling them as inappropriate and misinformed. The Indian government viewed her comments as an intrusion into the electoral processes of another democracy.

Jayapal expressed her concerns earlier this week regarding the removal of 130 million names from India's draft electoral rolls.

During a media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal responded to her criticism, stating, "We consider the Congresswoman's remarks to be unwarranted and uninformed, amounting to interference in the electoral practices of a fellow democracy."

He further emphasized that such an approach undermines the very essence of democracy.

In a post on X, Jayapal stated, "I am deeply concerned about the actions of the Indian government to purge 130 million people from the voting rolls," marking the first time a US lawmaker has commented on this matter.

She drew parallels between the situation in India and actions taken by the Trump Administration in the US that she believes undermine voting rights.

Jayapal asserted that safeguarding democracies globally is crucial, and both Indian and American citizens deserve access to free and fair elections.

Her remarks coincided with ongoing protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and alleged electoral irregularities.

According to the Election Commission of India, approximately 72 million names were removed from the draft rolls during the initial phases of the SIR across 13 states and union territories.

In the current third phase, which involves the publication of draft lists for 18 states and union territories, the number of deleted voters has reached 61.6 million.

The Commission has assured that any genuine voter whose name was mistakenly omitted during the SIR can request inclusion through the claims and objections process, specifically via Form 6.

India's ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, also addressed the issue on X, stating, "The remarks by @RepJayapal regarding India's electoral and political processes are unacceptable interference in India's internal affairs."