Upset at 'unnecessary' reference to PM Modi by US official: India

New Delhi: India is upset at a reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by a US State Department official while defending the immunity it had extended to Saudi Arabia's crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is facing allegations of killing journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

"Frankly, I fail to understand how the comment on Prime Minister Modi was either relevant, necessary or contextual," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said responding to questions about a US official referring to Modi while explaining the reasons for granting immunity to the Saudi ruler.

"Our two countries enjoy a very special relationship which is growing from strength to strength and we look forward to working with the US to further deepen it," he said, referring to the bilateral ties between India and the US.

When asked about giving immunity to the Saudi Crown Prince over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, US State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said in a briefing last Friday that this is not the first time that the US has done this and it has been applied to a number of heads of state previously, including PM Modi, according to reports. Bagchi also said reports about the prime minister's visit to the US in December were incorrect.

"No proposal for a visit by the Prime Minister to the US in December has been made by our side. Media reports in this regard are incorrect," Bagchi said.

He also dismissed social media posts about "false comments" attributed to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and White House spokesperson with regard to the brief bilateral meeting between Modi and US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the recent G-20 summit in Bali.

"We have seen some incorrect social media posts which attribute false statements to the External Affairs Minister, who has not made any comment on this to the press or on social media. It also attributes false statements to the White House press secretary. So, I would request you all not to lend credence to such incorrect information," Bagchi said.