US diplomats in India just doing their job: State Department

Washington: Denying that Washington was interfering in India's internal affairs as alleged by the CPM, the US has said that American diplomats do in India what Indian diplomats do in the US.

While declining to address the substance of India related WikiLeaks cables, State Department spokesman P J Crowley told reporters on Friday, "We are building a strategic partnership with India. We have significant engagement on a variety of issues with both India the government and the people."

"Our diplomats do what diplomats do, and that - what we do in a country like India is no different than what Indian diplomats do in our country," he added.

Crowley's remarks came after the CPM condemned the latest US diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks as proof of America's interference in India's affairs.

In a statement issued, the party said, "As the WikiLeaks cables have shown, the US pursues single-mindedly its imperialist interests. The unfortunate part is the complicity of the Manmohan Singh government in furthering some of these interests"

In the latest WikiLeaks expose, a cable from US Ambassador to India, Tim Roemer, quotes Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as telling him that Hindu extremism is a bigger threat than Lashkar militants. The cable has provoked a fiery political controversy in the country.