US Defence Secretary Austin flags worry over rights, curbs on farm protests
New Delhi, March 20
US Defence Secretary General Lloyd Austin on Saturday said concerns over human rights in India were raised during his meeting between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
At a media briefing, General Austin was asked if he shared concerns over democracy, human rights violations and curbs on farmers’ protests. He said: “I did not discuss it with PM Modi. But I did have a discussion on it with other members of the Cabinet.”
On imposing sanctions on India for proposed purchase of Russian equipment, General Austin said: “Since the S-400 has not yet been acquired (by India), there is no reason for sanctions. We are aware they (India) have expressed interest in it.” He said: “We urge our allies to move away from Russian equipment and avoid any kind of acquisitions that could trigger sanctions on our behalf.”
General Austin also said the US never considered that India and China could go to war during the miltiary standoff in Eastern Ladakh. — TNS
