On Friday, 20th December, Democratic Senator Kamala Harris supported Indian American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, after India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar refused to meet her during his visit to the country early this week.
“It’s wrong for any foreign government to tell Congress what members are allowed in meetings on Capitol Hill,” Ms. Harris tweeted.
The first U.S. Senator of Indian origin, Ms. Harris said she stands with Ms. Jayapal. Pramila is the first Indian American women to be elected to the House of Representatives, has introduced a resolution in the House on Kashmir.
However, according to Jaishankar, the pending resolution on Kashmir introduced by Ms. Jayapal in the House is not a fair characterisation of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. He said,
“I am aware of that (Congressional) resolution. I don’t think it’s a fair understanding of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir or a fair characterisation of what the government of India is doing. And I have no interest in meeting (Jayapal).”
Jayapal was further supported by Senator Elizabeth Warren and Congressman Jim McGovern. Ms. Warren said the “efforts to silence” Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal “are deeply troubling”.
“The U.S. and India have an important partnership—but our partnership can only succeed if it is rooted in honest dialogue and shared respect for religious pluralism, democracy, and human rights,” she tweeted.
She also retweeted a report by The Washington Post which said that External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar refused to attend a meeting of House Foreign Affairs Committee members that included Ms. Jayapal.
