The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) criticised the European Parliament’s adoption of a resolution on the state of violence in the Indian state of Manipur.

In a press briefing, MEA’s official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said it was “unacceptable” that the EU was discussing India’s internal affairs and added that their action “reflects a colonial mindset.”

Bagchi stated that the Indian authorities across levels and the judiciary were doing what was needed to maintain peace, harmony, law, and order and advised the European Parliament to “utilize its time more productively on its internal issues.”

The urgency resolution  adopted by the European Parliament on July 13, 2023, calls on Indian authorities to take necessary measures to “halt the ongoing ethnic and religious violence, to protect all religious minorities, such as Manipur’s Christian community, and to pre-empt any further escalation.”

The resolution urged the Modi-government to “take urgent steps to restore calm and ensure an inclusive dialogue involving civil society and the affected communities.”

A day before Bagchi’s statement, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra in a press briefing said that the European parliamentarians were being reached out and advised to cease discussions on matters “absolutely internal to India.” Kwatra said, “This is a matter internal to India. We are aware of what is happening in European Parliament. And we have made a reach out to the concerned EU parliamentarians, but we have made it very clear, this is a matter totally and internal to India."