Foreign Governments Have No Right To Question India's Religious Freedom : MEA On US Report On Rising Intolerance

MEA’s (Ministry of External Affairs) chief spokesperson, Raveesh Kumar’s statement is pretty much a clinical conclusion of Ministry’s stand on what the foreign government have had to say about India’s religious diversity.

India is proud of its ‘secular credentials’, Kumar said.

The statement came after U.S. State Department’s annual report on religious freedom stated that India has failed to protect its minority communities.

India Proud Of ‘Secular Credentials’

“We see no locus standi for a foreign government to pronounce on the state of our citizens’ constitutionally protected rights,” said Raveesh Kumar, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

“It is widely acknowledged that India is a vibrant democracy where the Constitution provides protection of religious freedom, and where democratic governance and rule of law further promote and protect the fundamental rights,” Kumar added.

The report explains the background of the scheduled visit of the secretary of state Mike Pompeo which is all set to begin on June 25.

The much-talked about report was released by Pompeo himself and he also referred to the issue of religious freedom as a “deeply personal” priority.

The Report

The State Department’s 2019 report on International freedom cited a number of instances, where the decisions made by the PM Narendra Modi led government at the centre and many states ruled by a BJP government, eventually ended up hurting the interest of the minority community.

The report cites a number of incidents that have posed a threat to minority rights. The reports talk about murders and mob lynchings by cow vigilante groups. Change in the name of cities was also quoted as an example.

The report asserted that “inflammatory speeches against minority communities” by several prominent BJP leaders is a huge concern. The report also referred to the NRC in Assam.

The MEA refrained from answering whether or not the report and its observation about the country’s failure to preserve minority rights would go on to feature as an issue to be discussed with Mr Pompeo during his official visit to India between 25-27 June.

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