Modi govt:US report on minorities based on ‘limited understanding of India
New Delhi: In a sharp rejoinder to the US government panel report on religious freedom, the Ministry of External Affairs has brushed aside the concerns raised over the plight of the country’s minority communities, saying the report was based on “limited understanding of India”.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its annual report for 2015 on Thursday, placing India under its Tier 2 list of countries for the seventh consecutive year.
The report paints a dismal portrait of religious freedom in India, lambasting “violent attacks” on minorities and their “forced conversions” (ghar wapsi) by Hindu nationalist groups, such as Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP).
“Since the election, religious minority communities have been subject to derogatory comments by politicians linked to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and numerous violent attacks and forced conversions,” says the report.
Reacting strongly to the report, External Affairs Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said that the Indian government will “take no cognizance of this report”.
“Our attention has been drawn to a report of the USCIRF which has passed judgement on religious freedom in India,” the MEA said in a statement.
“The report appears to be based on limited understanding of India, its constitution and its society,” the statement added.
The government is not known to have reacted in such a way on previous USCIRF reports as it is considered an internal report of the US legislature.
However, the 2015 USCIRF report is a scathing account of Indian minorities’ plight and in what sounds authoritarian, the report has also urged the Indian government to “publicly rebuke government officials and religious leaders that make derogatory statements about religious communities”.
“Religious minority communities frequently accuse the RSS, VHP and other Hindu-nationalist groups and individuals of intolerance, discrimination, and violence against them,” says the report.
USCIRF rakes up the issue of forced conversions, saying how in December 2014, Hindu nationalist groups announced plans to forcibly “reconvert” at least 4,000 Christian families and 1,000 Muslim families to Hinduism in Uttar Pradesh on Christmas day as part of a so-called “Ghar Wapsi” (returning home) program.
”Reportedly, local police seldom provide protection, refuse to accept complaints, rarely investigate, and in a few cases encourage Christians to move or hide their religion”.
The report however has praised PM Narendra Modi for his recent statement on ensuring religious freedom in India.
In February 2015 at an event honouring Indian Catholic saints, Modi stated that his government “will ensure that there is complete freedom of faith and that everyone has the undeniable right to retain or adopt the religion of his or her choice without coercion or undue influence”.
Calling Modi’s remarks as a positive development, the report said, “This statement is notable given longstanding allegations that, as Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2002, Mr. Modi was complicit in anti-Muslim riots in that state”.
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Source:Zeenews
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