The US wants to destabilize India during the elections, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry
New Delhi:
The US wants to destabilize India during the 2024 general elections, Russia's Foreign Ministry said after a US federal commission report criticized New Delhi for alleged violations of religious freedom.
RT news, a Russian government-owned news network, has reported that Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has said that Washington does not understand India's national mentality and history and continues to make “unfounded accusations” about the religious freedoms in India.
'Unfounded allegations:' US wants to destabilize India during #LokSabha2024 – Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Spox Maria Zakharova has said that Washington does not have a simple understanding of India's national mentality and history, while America continues to make “unfounded accusations” about… pic.twitter.com/M8G0gtiP92
— RT_India (@RT_India_news) May 8, 2024
Zakharova called it disrespectful to India as a country and a state. “The reason [behind the US accusations] is to unbalance the internal political situation in India and complicate the general elections,” RT News quoted her as saying. The Foreign Ministry spokesperson added that Washington's actions clearly constitute interference in India's internal affairs.
This comes after the latest annual report of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) criticized India for alleged violations of religious freedom. The committee also renewed its recommendation to the US State Department to declare India a 'country of special interest'.
The report accuses the ruling BJP of reinforcing “discriminatory” nationalist policies. It has also flagged continued enforcement of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, the Citizenship Amendment Act and the anti-conversion and cow slaughter laws. The enforcement of these laws, the report states, has resulted in arbitrary detention, monitoring and targeting of religious minorities and those who advocate on their behalf.
“Both the news media and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) reporting on religious minorities were subject to strict scrutiny under FCRA regulations,” the report said.
The State Department has criticized the US commission for trying to “interfere” in the Indian elections and continuing to indulge in “propaganda” against the country.
Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the ministry, said last week that the USCIRF is known as a “biased” entity with a political agenda. “The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is known as a biased organization with a political agenda. They continue to publish their propaganda about India disguised as part of an annual report.”
“We really have no expectation that the USCIRF will even attempt to understand India's diverse, pluralistic and democratic ethos,” Jaiswal said. “Their attempts to interfere in the world's largest electoral exercise will never succeed,” he added.
