The Indian society has no feeling of discrimination in the direction of any non secular minority, Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned in an interview with the Monetary Instances on Thursday.
When requested about the way forward for the almost 20 crore Muslims in India, the prime minister skirted the query and as an alternative spoke concerning the monetary success of the Parsi neighborhood.
“Regardless of dealing with persecution elsewhere on the earth, they’ve discovered a secure haven in India, dwelling fortunately and prospering,” Modi advised the Monetary Instances, describing the neighborhood as a “non secular micro-minority residing in India”.
This got here whilst america Fee on Worldwide Spiritual Freedom in Could advisable Washington DC to designate India as a “nation of specific concern” for participating in or tolerating systematic violations of non secular freedom.
The fee is an impartial American authorities company that screens the common proper to freedom of faith and makes coverage strategies to the White Home.
In its report, the fee had urged US President Joe Biden to impose focused sanctions on Indian authorities companies and officers answerable for “extreme violations” of non secular freedom.
Within the Monetary Instances interview, Modi additionally dismissed his authorities’s alleged crackdown on his critics.
“There’s a entire ecosystem that’s utilizing the liberty obtainable in our nation to hurl these allegations at us each day, by means of editorials, TV channels, social media, movies, tweets, and many others,” mentioned Modi. “They’ve the fitting to take action. However others have an equal proper to reply with information.”
The prime minister has earlier additionally denied that minorities have confronted discrimination beneath his authorities.
In June, whereas taking questions at a uncommon press convention with Biden on the White Home, Modi mentioned there may be completely no area for discrimination in India.
On the press convention, a journalist identified that a number of human rights teams have accused the Modi authorities of discriminating towards non secular minorities and taking actions to silence its critics.
“What steps are you and your authorities prepared to take to enhance the rights of Muslims and different minorities in your nation and to uphold free speech?” the journalist requested.
In response, Modi mentioned that India has proven that democracy might ship. “And after I say ship, that is no matter caste, creed, faith or gender,” the prime minister added.
A report launched by Hindutva Watch in September acknowledged that India witnessed 255 instances of hate speech towards Muslims in gatherings within the first half of 2023.
Hindutva Watch is a Washington DC-based analysis group that screens assaults on members of minority communities by Hindutva outfits.
In response to the report, almost 80% of those hate speech occasions passed off in states and Union Territories ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering – the prime minister’s occasion.
