On Thursday, June 22, Indian PM Narendra Modi addressed a joint press conference with US President Joe Biden during his state visit to the United States. During the press conference, a journalist tried to insinuate that rights of Muslims and other minorities are under threat in India and consequently the democratic values. The journalist got a befitting response from PM Modi as he reminded everyone of the history of Indian democracy, which is rooted in valuing human rights and non-discrimination.
Asking the question, the journalist said, “World leaders have made commitments to protecting democracy, what steps are you and your government willing to take to protect the rights of Muslims and other minorities and to uphold free speech?”
In response, PM Modi said, “I am surprised that you are saying that ‘people say’ India is a democracy. It is not about what people say, India is a democracy. And as President Biden said, both India and America have democracy in their DNA. Democracy is our spirit, democracy flows in our veins. We live democracy and our ancestors have put that into words in the shape of the Constitution and our government runs on the basis of the constitution which is based on the basic democratic values.”
Further, PM Modi added, “We have proven that democracy can deliver and when I talk about deliver, I mean that there is no space for any discrimination based on caste, creed, religion, or gender. When we talk about democracy, if there are no human values or human rights, then it is not a democracy at all. So when you talk about democracy, follow democracy, live and breathe democracy, then there is no question of any discrimination.”
“India believes in fundamental values of sabka Saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas, sabka prayas. In India, the government benefits can be accessed by everyone so there is no discrimination in Indian democratic values whether on the basis of religion or caste or even age”, PM Modi added.
Earlier, on Wednesday, PM Modi arrived at the White House in Washington DC on Wednesday for the second leg of his official state visit. In DC, PM Modi met US President Joe Biden at the White House. The two leaders exchanged selected gifts. Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented various gifts representing India’s rich cultural and spiritual heritage to President Biden.
On Thursday, PM Modi had a meeting with President Biden to discuss various bilateral issues before attending this press conference. PM Modi is also scheduled to address a joint meeting of the US House of Representatives later on Thursday.