Seven US lawmakers have urged secretary of state Mike Pompeo to speak to Indian foreign minister S. Jaishankar about the ongoing protests against the new farm laws in the context of America’s “commitment to the freedom of political speech abroad”.
While other US lawmakers have already picked up cudgels for the farmers’ right to peaceful protest, this is the first time a group of members of Congress are petitioning the secretary of state to make an intervention. Essentially, all of them are responding to a demand from their own constituents as Punjabis in general and Sikhs in particular have a significant presence in their respective constituencies.
The seven signatories to the letter — five Democrats and two Republicans — have explained the reason for seeking the US government’s intervention.
Referring to reports of water cannon attacks, barbed wire barricades and teargas used on the farmers, they said: “This is an issue of particular concern to Sikh Americans linked to Punjab although it also heavily impacts the Indian Americans belonging to other Indian states. Many Indian Americans are directly affected as they have family members and ancestral land in Punjab and are concerned for the well-being of their families in India.”
Understanding the importance of the India-US relationship, which enjoys bipartisan support in Washington, the US lawmakers have been careful to acknowledge the right of every country to draft their own laws.
“As national legislators, we respect the right of the government of India to determine national policy, in compliance with existing law. We also acknowledge the rights of those in India and abroad who are currently protesting peacefully against agricultural laws that many Indian farmers see as an attack on their economic security.”
Indian-origin Democrat Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal is one of the signatories to the letter. Jayapal had last year angered the Indian foreign ministry establishment by moving a bipartisan resolution in Congress on the Kashmir clampdown.
The other signatories are Donald Norcross, Brendan F. Boyle, Brian Fitzpatrick, Mary Gay Scanlon, Debbie Dingell and David Trone, taking the number of US lawmakers who have raised concerns about the protests to over a dozen.
While the number of legislators across world capitals expressing concern has grown as the protests have prolonged, the Indian external affairs ministry has not commented since its statement after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke up for the protesting farmers.
