PTI reported. According to PTI, the Biden administration's top diplomat also said that he was confident that “10 years from now, India is going to be a vibrant democracy as it is today in terms of free and fair elections". Responding to a question expressing concerns over the status of democracy in India, the US envoy also spoke about how the voting machine is taken in the mountains for one person so he can cast his vote.
"Again, there's things that probably are worse, and there's things that are better. They have a law, you can't go more than two kilometers to vote. So there'll be one guy who lives in the mountains as a monk (at) someplace.
They will walk for two days to bring the voting machine, execute the vote," he said. Also Read: 'Unfounded accusations…': Russia says US ‘complicating’ Lok Sabha elections, disrespecting India The US envoy said that during election times in India, people check trucks to ensure that nobody has cash going around. "There's probably walk-in money, as they call it in some cities here in the United States, Philadelphia, that's like a tradition where cash kind of gets you votes and things like that.
So, I've been impressed with certain things they do that are better than us." Meanwhile, Garcetti also said that there are things that they keep their eyes on. "I just disagree that we don't speak out about them." "We put them out. It's not the only thing.
I mean, some people want us to only say that. But this is too important a relationship to spend all day long only saying that over and over. You're not going to get anything else done.
Read more on livemint.com