BJP said the report shows clear bias against the Narendra Modi government and the saffron party as the MEA questioned a foreign government's 'locus standi'.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday strongly rejected the US State Department's 2018 International Religious Freedom Report which alleged that mob attacks by violent extremist Hindu groups against minority communities, particularly Muslims, continued in India in 2018, amid rumours that victims had traded or killed cows for beef.
The Ministry of External Affairs also condemned the report that raised questions about the government's inability to curb violent attacks on the country's minority Muslims.
The BJP said that the report shows clear bias against the Narendra Modi government and the saffron party, asserting that its leaders had strongly deplored violence against minorities and weaker sections of society.
The report, released on June 21, alleged that some senior leaders of the BJP "made inflammatory speeches against minority communities".
"Mob attacks by violent extremist Hindu groups against minority communities, especially Muslims, continued throughout the year amid rumors that victims had traded or killed cows for beef," it added.
The report covers government policies violating religious belief and practices of groups, religious denominations and individuals, and US policies to promote religious freedom around the world.
1. US report on global religious freedom shows bias against Modi: BJP
)
In a statement, BJP media head and Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni said, "The basic presumption in this report that there is some grand design behind anti-minority violence is simply false. On the contrary, in most of such cases, these instances are carried out as a result of local disputes and by (people with) criminal mindsets."
Whenever needed, PM Modi and other BJP leaders have strongly deplored violence against minorities and weaker sections of the society, he added.
Baluni said India has deep-rooted democratic institutions, including fiercely independent and pro-active judiciary, which is quite capable of handling such disputes and punish the guilty. Unfortunately, this fact is completely ignored in this report, he said, adding that the Bharatiya Janata Party under the leadership of Modi believes in "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas" (With all, development for all).
"Mega schemes launched and effectively implemented by the Modi government have benefited all the castes, religions and regions equally. BJP is indeed proud of its record in uplifting living standards of all poor, underprivileged sections of the society, irrespective of their faith and gender," he said in the statement.
Indian people have recently reaffirmed their confidence on the development agenda of the BJP-led NDA alliance by giving Modi a massive mandate in the parliamentary election, he said.
2. Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on report
)
Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the lone Muslim face in the Modi government, also came out strongly against the report and rejected it as "prejudiced".
"Religious freedom is in India's DNA and we don't need a certificate from anyone. This report is far from ground realities and prejudiced," Naqvi told ANI.
He said religious freedom in India is strong and it is the only country in the world where people from every religion and faith live in a harmonious atmosphere.
"People from every religion, faith and culture live here with religious fervor," he said.
3. India's response
)
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said it sees no 'locus standi' for a foreign government to pronounce on the state of its citizens' constitutionally protected rights.
Responding to media queries on the report, MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said: "India is proud of its secular credentials, its status as the largest democracy and a pluralistic society with a longstanding commitment to tolerance and inclusion."
The Indian Constitution guarantees fundamental rights to all its citizens, including its minority communities, he said.
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 fundamental rights, Kumar asserted.
"We see no locus standi for a foreign entity/government to pronounce on the state of our citizens' constitutionally protected rights," he said.
4. Report ahead of Pompeo's India visit
)
The report was released by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who is scheduled to land in New Delhi on Tuesday. On his visit to India, Pompeo is expected to hold talks on several bilateral issues including a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Modi during a Group of 20 summit in Japan later next week.
A Trump administration official said on Friday that Pompeo's visit to India next week is to deepen and broaden the bilateral relationship and to kick-start a dialogue towards the resolution of some of the key issues in trade ties.
Pompeo will be visiting India from June 25 to June 27. The G-20 Summit in Japan's Osaka is scheduled on June 28-29.
During his visit, Pompeo will meet Prime Minister Modi and his new Indian counterpart External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, whom the official described as one of the visionaries behind the expansion of the US-India strategic partnership.
5. What US religious freedom report alleges
)
The annual report, released by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday, said that mob attacks, led by violent extremist Hindu groups against the minority communities, particularly Muslims, continued in India in 2018.
According to some NGOs, the authorities often protected perpetrators from prosecution, it said. The report said that as of November, there were 18 such attacks, and eight people killed during the year.
It alleged that some senior officials of the ruling BJP made inflammatory speeches against the minority communities.
The report said that India's Central and State governments as well as parties took steps to affect Muslim practices and institutions.
"The government continued its challenge in the Supreme Court to the minority status of Muslim educational institutions, which affords them independence in hiring and curriculum decisions.
"Proposals to rename Indian cities with Muslim provenance continued, most notably the renaming of Allahabad to Prayagraj. These proposals were designed to erase Muslim contributions to Indian history and had led to increased communal tensions," the report said.
Citing reports by NGO's, the US report claimed that authorities often failed to prosecute perpetrators of "cow vigilante" attacks, which included killings, mob violence and intimidation.
"There were reports of religiously motivated killings, assaults, riots, discrimination, vandalism, and actions restricting the right of individuals to practice their religious beliefs and proselytize," the report added.
Releasing the report at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department, Pompeo last week said the report was like a report card which tracks countries to see how well they have respected this fundamental human right.
Mandated by the Congress, the State Department in its voluminous report gives its assessment of the status of religious freedom in almost all the countries and territories of the world.
6. Dissenting view of Tenzin Dorzee
)
Dr Tenzin Dorjee, the Commissioner of United States Commission on International Religious Freedom wrote a powerful dissent note where he disagreed with the tenor of the report on religious freedom in India.
He dissented with the view that India's religious freedom conditions 'continued on a downward trend' and that the 'government allowed and encouraged mob violence'. He said India is an open society with a robust democratic and judiciary system. He shared his experience of living in India for 30 years as a Tibetan refugee and vehemently defended India’s multi-faith society.
He compared it to communist China which ‘systematically, egregiously, and continuously destroyed Tibetan religion, language, culture, and environment’.
In comparison he observed, the Tibetan culture and language had flourished in India.
