US rejects Russian allegations of interference in Lok Sabha elections

NEW DELHI: The United States on Friday rejected Russia's claims of interference in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
State department spokesperson Matthew Miller said, "No, of course, we don't involve ourselves in elections in India as we don't involve ourselves in elections anywhere in the world. Those are decisions for the people of India to make."
Miller's response came after Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused the United States of making baseless allegations against India and other countries regarding religious freedom violations.Zakharova's comments were in reference to a recent Washington Post article that alleged the involvement of an Indian intelligence officer in a plot to assassinate Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on US soil last year.
Zakharova described the US accusations as a reflection of their misunderstanding of India's national mentality, historical context, and disrespect for India as a state.
"Regular unfounded accusations by the United States against New Delhi... we see that they groundlessly accuse not only India but also many other states…of violating religious freedoms are a reflection of the United States' misunderstanding of the national mentality, the historical context of the development of the Indian state and disrespect for India as a state," Zakharova told reporters in Moscow.

She further claimed that the United States was attempting to destabilize India's internal political situation to complicate the ongoing general parliamentary elections, calling it a part of their meddling in India's internal affairs.
When asked about the alleged assassination plot, Miller refrained from commenting, stating that there is a publicly returned indictment containing alleged facts, which are allegations until proven before a jury. He emphasized that it is an ongoing legal matter and declined to discuss it further.