Thaindian News

Moscow, Dec 16 (IANS) Amidst public protests in Russia over the results of the Dec 4 Duma polls and the opposition allegations of electoral fraud, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday expressed his “deep felicitations” to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and congratulated Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on the conduct of the parliamentary polls that resulted in a reduced majority for the ruling United Russia Party.

Manmohan Singh’s felicitations were conveyed to Medvedev during their three-hour bilateral talks here as part of the 12th summit meeting between the two nations, and to Putin during their bilateral meeting at the Russian prime minister’s residence later in the evening.

“Our summit has taken place just after the elections to the Russian State Duma, for which I conveyed my deep felicitations to President Medvedev,” Manmohan Singh said at a joint press conference here with the Russian president.

The elections had caused a major controversy in Russia with the opposition and some observers alleging rigging.

Though there were reports of large scale protests in the days immediately after the elections, the Moscow streets are relatively quieter now, as the prime minister arrived for the summit meeting Thursday evening. He returns to India Saturday.

After a massive protest last Saturday at Moscow’s Bolotnaya Ploshchad where an estimated 50,000 people gathered, the situation is relatively peaceful here. But the discontent is simmering, according to observers of the events of the last fortnight.

Manmohan Singh later met Putin, who is the focus of the public anger over the Duma polls, at the latter’s residence here, when the congratulatory message “for the successful outcome of Duma electgions” was delivered in person.

“Putin thanked the PM and appreciated the gesture,” Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai, who is part of Indian delegation, told Indian journalists after the meeting.