PM Modi: India US Religious Freedom Report!
India US Religious Freedom Report: The Modi government has reacted strongly to the comments made about India in the annual international report released by the US on religious freedom. On the report of the US State Department, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal has said that this report is completely biased.
During the weekly press conference of the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday, Randhir Jaiswal said, "We have looked at the annual international report on religious freedom (2023 Report on International Religious Freedom) released by the US State Department. Like before, this report is also completely biased. This report shows a lack of understanding of India's social fabric. This report has clearly been released keeping the vote bank in mind. We completely reject this report.
The Ministry of External Affairs further said that the report is a mix of selective use of facts, reliance on biased sources and one-sided projection of issues. This also extends to the portrayal of our constitutional provisions and duly enacted laws of India. The report has selectively chosen events to convey a predetermined facts to the people. In some cases, the report even questions the validity of India's laws and regulations. Along with this, the right of the legislature to implement them has also been questioned. The report also appears to challenge the integrity of some legal decisions given by Indian courts.
A direct target on America
Taking aim at the US, he said that there are more stringent laws and regulations there. The US will never suggest such solutions for itself. Human rights and diversity have been and will remain a topic of discussion between the two countries. Last year, India has officially raised several cases of hate crimes in the US, racial attacks on Indian citizens and other minorities, vandalism and targeting of places of worship, violence and abuse by law enforcement officials as well as political space.
10 people were freed from the Russian army
On the question of Indian people being trapped in the Russian army, the Ministry of External Affairs has said that 10 people trapped in the Russian army have been brought back from there. These people have returned to their homes. About 20-25 people had contacted the Indian Embassy in Russia to get them released from there. We are continuously talking to the Russian authorities to bring back the remaining people. It is our best effort that all the people who are trapped there should be brought back to India soon.
During the press conference, he also informed that the Indian delegation led by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will go to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting to be held in Kazakhstan next month. This means that Prime Minister Modi will not participate in the SCO Summit. Earlier, it was being speculated that Prime Minister Modi will not attend this meeting due to the Parliament session.
What did you say about Kachchativu island?
When Randhir Jaiswal was asked whether there has been a discussion with the Sri Lankan government regarding Kachchativu Island? Responding to this, he said that Foreign Minister S Jaishankar had recently visited Sri Lanka. During this, extensive talks were held with the leaders there. During this, the Foreign Minister discussed all the mutual issues of the two countries.