India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has strongly rejected the 2023 report on international religious freedom released by the US State Department, labelling it as deeply biased and lacking an understanding of India’s social dynamics.
The US report raised concerns over what it termed a concerning increase in hate speech, anti-conversion laws, and the demolition of homes and places of worship belonging to minority groups in India.
In response, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal criticised the report, saying, ‘We have noted the release by the US State Department. As in the past, the report is deeply biased, lacks an understanding of India’s social fabric, and is visibly driven by votebank considerations and a prescriptive outlook. We therefore reject it’.
Jaiswal further lambasted the reports for its mix of imputations, misrepresentations, selectively India’s constitutional provisions and laws, selectively highlights incidents to fit a predetermined narrative, and questions the legitimacy of India’s legal and legislative processes.
The MEA spokesperson also pointed out discrepancies in how the report addresses regulations concerning financial flows into India, suggesting that the US itself has stricter laws and regulations but does not prescribe similar solutions for its own compliance burdens.
While emphasizing that human rights and respect for diversity are valid topics for discussion between India and the United States, Jaiswal underscored India’s efforts to address hate crimes and protect minorities, both domestically and in the US.
However, he cautioned against such dialogues being used as grounds for foreign interference in India’s internal affairs. Jaiswal stated, ‘In 2023, India had formally raised numerous cases in the US related to hate crimes, attacks on Indian nationals and minorities, vandalism of places of worship, and mistreatment by law enforcement’.
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