India has said that the United States of America is playing vote bank politics, referring to the U.S. State Department 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom released yesterday. Strongly objecting to India’s portrayal in the report, the ministry of external affairs issued the statement saying that the report contains ill informed comments by senior US officials.
“We have noted the release of the U.S. State Department 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom, and ill informed comments by senior U.S. officials,” said a statement issued by MEA official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi. He further added, “It is unfortunate that vote bank politics is being practiced in international relations. We would urge that assessments based on motivated inputs and biased views be avoided.”
The statement by MEA also said, “As a naturally pluralistic society, India values religious freedom and human rights.”
Bagchi also informed that India has been raising concerns about various incidents of human rights violence in the USA, like racist attacked, hate crimes and regular gun violence. The statement said, “In our discussions with the US, we have regularly highlighted issues of concern there, including racially and ethnically motivated attacks, hate crimes and gun violence.”
In the 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom prepared by the US State Department, it has been alleged that attack on members of the minority communities, including killings, assaults, and intimidation, occurred throughout the year 2021 in India. The report released by Secretary of State Antony Blinken mostly relied on left-liberal reports on so called attacks on minorities.
“Attacks on members of religious minority communities, including killings, assaults, and intimidation, occurred throughout the year. These included incidents of ‘cow vigilantism’ against non-Hindus based on allegations of cow slaughter or trade in beef,” said the report in its India section.
The report also quoted allegations made by NGOs such as United Christian Forum, United Against Hate, the Association for Protection of Civil Rights etc. The mentioned that cancelation of FCRA licence of thousands of NGOs as another example human rights violence.
India govt had rejected the earlier versions of the report also, saying US has no locus standi “to pronounce on the state of our citizens’ constitutionally protected rights.”