New Delhi, May 5
Seeking to put an end to the controversy over George W. Bush’s remarks on food habits of Indians, US Ambassador David Mulford dismissed suggestions that the US President had made any critical comments and said “hostile political commentary is not productive”.
Mulford said Bush was a “great friend and admirer” of India and in his remarks on the global food assistance, he had expressed his support for the progress developing nations were making in both food production and nutrition.
The President, he said, expressed concern about the global food price increase and called on all nations to help in the fight against hunger.
Bush had already increased America’s
“generous” food aid contributions to $ 5 billion (about Rs 20,000 crore) over the next two years.
“I believe that this is a time for increased cooperation among nations to solve this problem and that hostile political commentary is not productive,” Mulford said.
Bush has come under all round attack from political parties here for his comments that improving food habits in India were among the reasons for the increase in global prices of foodgrains.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today evaded queries on the remarks of Bush and secretary of state Condoleezza Rice on the increasing consumption levels of the Indian middle class which, they said, had resulted in food shortages in
their country.
“I don’t have to comment” on whatever was stated by others, the Prime Minister said at the Padma awards
function at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
“I don’t want to get into arguments with foreign dignitaries,” he said.
— PTI, UNI
