New Delhi, Jan 27
There is no scope for outside interference in India's internal matters, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday said in remarks that come as the European Parliament gets set to debate and vote on a motion against India's new citizenship law. Addressing a gathering after a book launch event, he said he was concerned at the trend of foreign bodies interfering in matters that are “completely within the purview of Indian Parliament and government”. Such efforts were totally uncalled for and unwarranted and expressed hope that they would refrain from making such statements in future, he said. There was no scope for outside interference in India's internal matters, Naidu asserted. The European Parliament is set to debate and vote on a motion tabled by a large chunk of its members against India's new citizenship law, which it alleges marks a “dangerous shift” in the country's citizenship regime. A total of six resolutions have been tabled by groups within the European Union (EU), including the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament (S&D), Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) (PPE), Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance (Verts/ALE), European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR), Renew Europe Group (Renew) and European United Left/Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL) Group. The EU Parliament should not take any action questioning the rights and authority of democratically elected legislatures, government sources had said on Sunday, ahead of a debate on a batch of resolutions against India's new citizenship law by the powerful bloc of 28 nations. They are set to be debated in the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday and voted on the day after.
