US-India ties: US recognises India as ‘strategic partner’ and ‘world’s largest democracy’

India is the world's largest democracy, said the US Department of State Spokesperson, Matthew Miller while reaffirming America's relations with the country and calling it an important “strategic partner” of the United States. 

His remarks came when Miller was put on the spot to address recent publications alleging “concerns about democratic backsliding in India” and the US navigating the relationship with the country. 

Addressing a press conference on Monday, Miller said, “So India is the world's largest democracy. It is an important strategic partner of the United States, and I expect that to remain true.”

In the recent past, the US officials have also called India a “very important partner” and the relationship between the two countries continues to remain unchanged and grow more. 

India-US ties

There has been some unease in the bilateral relationship between India and the United States after the Sikh separatist movement in the US and the Biden administration's unusual statement on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's ED arrest. 

“We continue to follow these actions closely, including the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. We are also aware of the Congress party's allegations that tax authorities have frozen some of their bank accounts in a manner that will make it challenging to effectively campaign in the upcoming elections. And we encourage fair, transparent and timely legal processes for each of these issues,” Miller had said. 

The Ministry of External Affairs called these remarks “unwarranted”, saying any such external imputation on our electoral and legal processes is "completely unacceptable."

He was questioned whether the US State department's stand on Kejriwal's arrest but not on the arrests of Pakistani opposition leaders. Responding to this, Miller refused to compare both cases saying the US wanted to see everyone in Pakistan treated with consistent rule of law and human rights.

(With ANI inputs)