Jonathan Ernst / Reuters Democratic 2020 U.S. presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders rallies with supporters in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 26, 2020.

BJP general secretary BL Santhosh on Thursday said Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders’s reaction to the violence in northeast Delhi was compelling “us to play a role in Presidential elections.” Sanders had shared the Washington Post’s report on the violence and slammed US President Donald Trump’s response, calling it “a failure of leadership on human rights.”

To this, Santhosh replied:

He later deleted the tweet. The BJP leader may have channelled his inner Putin but threatening to interfere with democratic elections in another country is no joke. Advertisement Russia was accused of interfering in the US Presidential elections of 2016 and helping Trump get elected. Read details of its impact here and here. Last week, The New York Times reported intelligence officials had warned US lawmakers Russia was trying to get Trump re-elected. Sanders is the latest in a long list of US lawmakers who have expressed deep concern over the violence in India’s capital.

Democratic candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren had shared BBC’s report, saying “violence against peaceful protesters is never acceptable”. Advertisement

On Wednesday, Senator Mark Warner from the Democratic Party and John Cornyn from the Republican Party released a joint statement that said, “We are alarmed by the recent violence in New Delhi. We continue to support an open dialogue on issues of significant concern in order to advance our vital long-term relationship,” Warner and Cornyn are co-chairs of the Senate India Caucus, the largest country-specific caucus in the US Senate. US Congressman Jamie Raskin said: