The White House on Friday commended the people of India for their active participation in the ongoing elections, emphasizing India’s status as one of the world’s most vibrant democracies. “There are not too many more vibrant democracies in the world than India,” said White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby during a news conference. “We applaud the Indian people for exercising their ability to vote and to have a voice in their future government. We wish them well throughout the process, of course.”
Kirby made these remarks in response to a question about the massive electoral exercise in India, where over 969 million people are casting their votes at one million polling stations to elect 545 members of parliament from thousands of candidates representing 2,660 registered political parties.
Addressing another query, Kirby highlighted the strengthened relationship between India and the United States under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, particularly during the last three years of the Biden administration. “Our relationship with India is extremely close and getting closer,” he said. Kirby pointed to the recent State visit, during which the two nations launched several new initiatives focused on critical emerging technologies and bolstered the relevance of the Indo-Pacific Quad, of which India is a key member. He also noted the significant people-to-people exchanges and military cooperation between the two countries.
“It’s a very vibrant, very active partnership. We are grateful for Prime Minister Modi’s leadership,” Kirby added.
When questioned about President Joe Biden’s views on India and Japan being xenophobic, Kirby clarified that the president was making a broader point about the inclusiveness and participatory nature of democracy in the United States.
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