The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has sharply criticized the US State Department’s report on international religious freedom in India, describing it as “deeply biased” and failing to grasp the country’s social fabric.
The ministry dismissed the report, suggesting it is motivated by “vote bank considerations” in anticipation of the presidential elections.
MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “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 an understanding of India’s social fabric, and is visibly driven by vote bank considerations and a prescriptive outlook. We therefore reject it.”
Jaiswal criticized the report as being a “mix of imputations, misrepresentations, selective usage of facts, reliance on biased sources, and a one-sided projection of issues.”
He argued that it misrepresents India’s constitutional provisions and laws, questioning the validity of certain regulations and the right of Indian legislatures to enact them, while challenging the integrity of Indian court judgments.
MEA also criticized the report’s view on India’s financial regulations, calling the compliance burden unreasonable. “On its part, the United States has even more stringent laws and regulations and would surely not prescribe such solutions for itself.”
Jaiswal emphasized that human rights and diversity are ongoing discussion topics between India and the US. In 2023, India officially raised cases in the US involving hate crimes, racial attacks on Indian nationals and minorities, vandalization of places of worship, mistreatment by law enforcement, and political space for extremists.
He also warned that such dialogue should not become a “license for foreign interference in other polities.”
The US State Department’s report on international religious freedom has sparked controversy for mentioning violent attacks on minority groups in India, including killings, assaults, and vandalism of houses of worship. It noted that senior US officials have consistently raised concerns about religious freedom with Indian counterparts throughout the year.
