The Ministry of External Affairs rejected the findings of a report by the US state department's 2018 International Religious Freedom on Sunday and said 'India is proud of its secular credentials and is committed to tolerance and inclusion.'
The report by the United States has made certain critical comments regarding the status of minorities in India, saying it has "no locus standi" to "pronounce on the state of our citizens' constitutionally protected rights".
The MEA, in a statement released by news agency ANI, said, “India is proud of its secular credentials, its status as the largest democracy and pluralistic society with a longstanding commitment to tolerance and inclusion.”
In response to a query on the latest 'Report on International Religious Freedom' published by the State Department, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar underlined that India is a vibrant democracy where the fundamental rights of all its citizens, including minorities, are protected under the Constitution.
"We see no locus standi for a foreign entity/government to pronounce on the state of our citizens' constitutionally protected rights," Raveesh Kumar said.
Significantly, the report was released just ahead of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit to India from June 25. The US state department in its annual 2018 International Religious Freedom Report alleged that some senior officials in the ruling BJP party have had made inflammatory speeches against the minority communities in the country.
“Some senior officials of the Hindu-majority Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made inflammatory speeches against minority communities. Mob attacks by violent extremist Hindu groups against minority communities, especially Muslims, continued throughout the year amid rumours that victims had traded or killed cows for beef,” the report stated.
"The Indian Constitution guarantees fundamental rights to all its citizens, including its minority communities," the MEA spokesperson asserted. "It is widely acknowledged that India is a vibrant democracy where the Constitution provides protection of religious freedom, and where democratic governance and rule of law further promote and protect the fundamental rights."
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