A day after the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken released the 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom and flagged “concerning increase’ in anti-conversion laws and hate speech in India, India hit back on Friday, calling the report “deeply biased, visibly driven by vote-bank politics”.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also cited “numerous cases” of hate crimes, racial attacks on Indian nationals and other minorities, and targeting of places of worship in the US which he said India had officially taken up with the Biden administration.
“We have noted the release by the US State Department of its report on International Religious Freedom for 2023. As in the past, the report is deeply biased, lacks understanding of India’s social fabric and is visibly driven by vote bank considerations and a prescriptive outlook. We, therefore, reject it,” Jaiswal told reporters.
The US Presidential Election is slated for November.
The report, which tracks threats to religious freedom in almost 200 countries, is prepared by American embassies based on inputs from Government officials, religious groups, NGOs, journalists, human rights monitors and academics. (The Indian Express)
