India on Sunday firmly rejected reported remarks by Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten on press freedom and minority rights.
With the Centre saying such observations reflected a “lack of understanding” of the country’s democratic and civilisational ethos.
The response came during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Netherlands after a Dutch journalist raised questions over the absence of a joint press interaction and referred to concerns surrounding media freedom and the rights of minorities, including Muslims and smaller communities.
Addressing reporters in The Hague, Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (West) Sibi George said criticism of India often arose from inadequate understanding of the country’s social and democratic framework.
“We face these kinds of questions basically because of the lack of understanding of the person who asks the question,” George said.
Defending India’s democratic credentials, George described the country as a vibrant and pluralistic society with a civilisation spanning more than 5,000 years.
“India is a country of 1.4 billion people, the world’s most populous nation. It is a civilisation that is over 5,000 years old. It is diverse in terms of culture, languages, food and religion,” he said.
Highlights India’s religious diversity
George noted that four major religions — Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism — originated in India and continue to flourish in the country.
“There is no other country in the world where four religions have originated,” he said.
The diplomat also referred to the long presence of other faiths in India, saying Jewish communities had lived in the country for over 2,500 years without persecution, while Christianity and Islam had prospered for centuries.
“Christianity came to India soon after the resurrection of Jesus Christ and continued to flourish in India. Islam came to India during the time of Prophet Muhammad himself and flourished in India,” he added.
‘Vibrant democracy’
George also cited India’s electoral participation and peaceful transfer of power as examples of the country’s democratic strength.
“Recently, we had elections. You need to know the level of participation. More than 90 per cent of the electorate voted. This is the beauty of India,” he said.
Calling India a “vibrant democracy”, George said the country had pursued economic growth and poverty reduction through democratic means without compromising democratic principles.
“We did not go for violence to eliminate poverty. We went through the democratic process to eliminate poverty,” he said.
He further argued that the rise in India’s minority population reflected coexistence and inclusivity.
“When we became independent, the minority population in India was 11 per cent. Now it is more than 20 per cent. Name a country where the population of minorities has gone up. You won’t find it anywhere other than India,” George said.
“This is the beauty of India. I would request you to learn more about India so that you will have greater appreciation of what India is and how it is progressing,” he added.
What reports on Dutch PM said
The remarks came amid reports that Jetten had raised concerns over developments in India ahead of his meeting with Modi.
According to Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant, Jetten said the Dutch government had concerns “not just about press freedom” but also about “the rights of minorities, which are under severe pressure there”, adding that such matters were “regularly raised” with the Indian government.
However, in a post on social media after meeting Modi, Jetten said both India and the Netherlands attached “great importance to democracy, good governance and a world order based on rules and justice”.
He also referred to a long-running child custody dispute that has figured in previous diplomatic discussions between the two countries.
Comments are closed.