US: India is a vibrant democracy

 

The United States (US) has said that the Republic of India is a vibrant democracy, dismissing concerns about the democratic health of the country.

On Monday, the White House, the residence of the U.S. president, claimed that India is a vibrant democracy, and anybody who happens to go to New Delhi, the capital of India, can see that for themselves.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also scheduled for a state visit to the United States later this month, highlighting the growth in relations between India and the US.

John Kirby, the United States Navy serving as Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House, said, “India is a vibrant democracy. Anybody that, you know, happens to go to New Delhi can see that for themselves. And certainly, I would expect that the strength and health of democratic institutions will be part of the discussion.” He also expressed happiness about the relations between the US and India on many levels.

He further said, “There are innumerable reasons why India certainly matters, not just bilaterally between the two of our nations, but multilaterally on very many levels.”

Kirby stressed, “The United States president is looking forward very much to having Prime Minister Modi here.”

When Lloyd Austin, United States Secretary of Defense, attended the Shangri-La conference, he called for further defence cooperation between the US and India. He appreciated the militaries of the two countries.

Meanwhile, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met with Lloyd Austin on Monday, talking about the critical areas of the India-US defence cooperation as well as the broader security picture, notably in the Indo-Pacific region.

The discussions between the two leaders focused mostly on enhancing India-US defence cooperation. The defence minister emphasised the necessity of strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries.