India on Friday reacted strongly to the US State Department report alleging attacks on Indian minorities. Describing the US assessment as based on biased views, the Indian government has referred to the lack of correct information in the remarks of US officials. “It is unfortunate that vote bank politics is going on in international relations,” the ministry of external affairs said in its statement.
Indeed, the US State Department has submitted its annual report to Parliament on international religious freedom. According to this, there have been continuous attacks on minorities in India during the year 2021. The report also mentions killing and intimidation of minorities.
The ‘India section’ of this report, released by Foreign Minister Antony Blinken, mentions many such things, due to which the Indian government is angry. For example, the report gives detailed details of the targeting, assault and intimidation of minority community people in the name of cow slaughter or beef. Along with this, there is also a mention of the statement of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, in which he told the DNA of Hindus and Muslims of India as one. Bhagwat had said that Hindus and Muslims should not be separated on the basis of religion. It is well known that the ideological side of which Mohan Bhagwat is leading, considers every Indian as ‘Hindu’. They argue that the ancestors of Hindus and Muslims were the same.
India is strongly opposing this report of America. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi has said, as a pluralistic society, India values religious freedom and human rights. It is unfortunate that vote bank politics is being practiced in international relations. We would urge that the assessment be accurate and that biased views are avoided.
The mention of vote bank politics in India’s statement is important. The trend of Muslim voters in American politics has been seen more towards the Democratic Party than the Republic Party. During his tenure, Republican Party leader Donald Trump targeted Muslim-majority countries by introducing a bill to ban Muslim travel. After this, people from Iran, North Korea, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Somalia and Venezuela were banned from entering the US. After the Democratic Party came to power under Joe Biden, Biden ended this ban by introducing a new bill on the very first day of taking office.
Before the recent US report, in April 2022, Democrat MP Ilhan Omar had described the policies of the Modi government as anti-Muslim. Along with this, the issue of violation of human rights of Indian Muslims was also raised.
On the other hand, there is another bitter truth. India, which is showing the mirror to America for vote bank politics in international relations, should also remember programs like ‘Howdy Modi’ and ‘Namaste Trump’.