In answer to a query from a journalist, Prime Minister Narendra Modi denied that prejudice against minorities existed in India under his administration during a rare joint news conference with US President Joe Biden on Thursday.
PM Modi talked extensively on how the two largest democracies in the world can contribute to global peace, stability, and prosperity while addressing reporters at the joint press conference with Joe Biden after the two leaders had bilateral meetings.
When asked what India will do to advance religious minorities’ rights, Prime Minister Modi said, “I am astonished at what you stated. A democracy exists here. Our blood and soul are both infused with democracy. We are democracy; we are it. It is also stated in our constitution.
“Democracy cannot exist without human principles and human rights… Discrimination is not an issue when we practise democracy, he remarked.
“Our government can deliver, and when we deliver, there is no discrimination on caste, creed, or religion,” he said. He said that everyone has access to utilities “irrespective of religion, caste, age, or geography,” using the government’s slogan, “Sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas (development for all and trust from all)”.
According to a Hindustan Times story, up to 75 Democratic senators and house members requested in a letter to US President Joe Biden that he bring up human rights concerns with PM Modi before the two leaders’ meeting.
In the letter, it was stated that although “we do not endorse any particular Indian leader or political party—that is the decision of the people of India,” “we do stand in support of the important principles that should be a core part of American foreign policy.”
During their conversations at the White House, Biden said he and Modi spoke about human rights and other democratic principles.
Despite protests, Modi visits the US
On Thursday, hundreds of protesters gathered close to the White House.
“Modi has to consider why it was the first question at the press conference. Everyone can see that there are rights violations occurring in India, according to Ajit Sahi, the advocacy director of the Indian American Muslim Council and a protester.
“Modi’s assertions (that his administration does not discriminate on the basis of religion) are a total fabrication. Raqib Hameed Naik, the founder of Hindutva Watch, a nonprofit that tracks allegations of assaults on Indian minorities, was cited in the Reuters story as saying, “India has become a black-hole for religious minorities.
Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, the only two Muslim women in the U.S. Congress, along with some other liberal representatives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, boycotted Modi’s speech to the Congress on Thursday over claims that Muslims and other religious minorities were being singled out.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said that the US Congress should not issue invites to those with “deeply troubling human rights records” in reference to India’s ranking on the World Press Freedom Index and raids on BBC India’s headquarters in light of the documentary on Modi.
In a separate interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, former US President Barack Obama said it was right for Vice President Joe Biden to raise “troubling” concerns about the Indian democracy. He argued that it was crucial to defend the rights of marginalised populations.
“I do think that it is appropriate for the president of the United States, where he or she can, to uphold those principles and to challenge – whether behind closed doors or in public – trends that are troubling,” Obama said.
President Joe Biden and the First Lady have invited Prime Minister Modi to visit the US from June 21–24.
