Boris Johnson understood India question: BJP neta adamant despite UK govt saying otherwise

BJP National General Secretary BL Santhosh on Friday weighed in with his views regarding the remarks by UK Prime Minister on farmers' protest in India. Taking to Twitter, the BJP leader said asserted that Boris Johnson "did not misunderstand the question" but he showed "how irrelevant the question was." BL Santhosh said that by not commenting on the protests', the British Prime Minister showed what his country's "priorities are."

'Sorry fellows, he understood it.'

"Many anarchists are giving to British PM Boris Johnson answer to an MPs question on Indian farm unrest as misunderstood the question. Sorry fellows. He understood it. Replied it. Showed what their countries priorities are... Showed how irrelevant the question was," the BJP leader said.

The BJP leader was referring to the incident which occurred during the weekly Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) session in the House of Commons on Wednesday when Johnson reiterated that any dispute between India and Pakistan was for the two countries to settle bilaterally in response to a question by Opposition Labour MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi about conveying British Sikh anxieties over the ongoing protests against agricultural reforms in India.

However, a UK government spokesperson has said, "The Prime Minister clearly misheard the question in Parliament. The Foreign Office is following the issue of protests in India closely." 

British Sikh Labour MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, who has been vocal about the farmers' agitation, repeated one of his previous Twitter statements on the issue and asked, "So, will the Prime Minister (Johnson) convey to the Indian Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) our heartfelt anxieties, our hopes for a speedy resolution to the current deadlock and does he agree that everyone has a fundamental right to peaceful protest?"

'So disappointed with Johnson's response': British MP

"Our view is that of course, we have serious concerns about what is happening between India and Pakistan but these are pre-eminently matters for those two governments to settle and I know that he appreciates that point," said Johnson responding to Dhesi. 

A perplexed Dhesi took to social media immediately to brand Johnson as "absolutely clueless" and was joined by scores of fellow Labour politicians and others in expressing shock at the gaffe. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has refused to be drawn into British politicians' representations seeking UK government intervention in the matter, stating that the police handling of protests is a matter for the government of India.

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Thousands of farmers are currently staying put at Delhi's borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in protest against the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

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(With agency inputs)