During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the United States, American politicians including former President Barack Obama questioned how well minorities are protected in India. BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla responded by saying that India doesn’t need lectures about minorities’ rights and that all communities in the nation receive equal benefits from the government.
Poonawalla claimed to be an Indian Muslim and the national spokesman for the BJP, the biggest democratic party in the world. He said that everyone in India benefits equally, including Mary, Mathew, Mohammad, Madhav, Shilpa, and Sultana.
“I am the national spokesman for the PM Modi-led @BJP4India, the biggest democratic party in the world. Poonawalla said, “I am an Indian Muslim and I advocate for my nation and party on all significant platforms- nationally and internationally.
“It goes to Mary, Mathew, Mohammad, Madhav, Shilpa & Sultana,” he said. “When we assure 80cr or 800 million people receive free meals, 11cr or 110 million get toilets, 11cr or 110 million families get tapped water connections, 35 million poor get concrete dwellings.
He also poked fun of Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, claiming that he does not need to be lectured about minority rights by someone who has supported radical Islamists and made anti-Semitic remarks.
Poonawalla said, “Don’t need lectures on minority rights from someone who has patronized Islamist militants and has no track record to speak of on the stated issue.
Ilhan Omar is one of the well-known progressive Democrats from the so-called “Squad” who will not be attending the speech given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a joint session of the US Congress on Thursday. She said that the “Modi-led union government in India has repressed religious minorities” in her statement that Ilhan Omar would not attend the event.
Democratic member of the House of Representatives from Minnesota’s 5th congressional district is Ilhan Omar. She belongs to the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party as well.
Barack Obama, a former US president, warned on Thursday that if the Muslim minority is not respected, India risks “pulling apart” and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the situation.
Subuhi Khan, an activist, also criticized Omar by claiming that Muslims make up the second-largest majority in India rather than being a minority.
“First off, We Indian Muslims are NOT a minority; rather, we are India’s second-largest majority. Second, in our country, we are not only accepted but also celebrated. Stop telling falsehoods to further your political agenda. Let Indian Muslims make their own decisions, Subuhi said on Twitter.
In a joint news conference with US President Joe Biden on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that there is no issue of caste or religious discrimination in India because his government upholds the Constitution, which is based on the fundamental principles of democracy.
It is a democracy in India. Additionally, democracy is ingrained in both American and Indian DNA, as President Biden said. We have shown the effectiveness of democracy. In response to a question regarding the measures his government has taken to advance the rights of minorities in India and defend free speech, Modi stated, “When I say deliver, it means there is no space for discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, gender, or religion.
