Agencies | New Delhi:
India has firmly rejected reported remarks by Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten concerning media freedom and minority rights, asserting that such observations reflect a “lack of understanding” of the country’s democratic values, civilisational history and cultural diversity.
The response came during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Netherlands, where Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (West) Sibi George addressed questions raised by a Dutch journalist during a media interaction.
Defending India’s democratic credentials, George described the country as a vibrant and inclusive civilisation with more than 5,000 years of history and a long tradition of religious coexistence.
“These questions show a lack of understanding about India,” George said while responding to concerns regarding press freedom and the status of minorities in the country.
Highlighting India’s diversity, he said the nation of 1.4 billion people represents a unique blend of cultures, languages, religions and traditions.
“India is a diverse country in terms of culture, languages, food and religion,” he said.
George also pointed out that four major religions — Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism — originated in India and continue to flourish there.
Defending India’s record on religious freedom, the diplomat referred to the long-standing presence of multiple faith communities in the country.
“Jewish religion was in India for more than 2,500 years. India is perhaps one of the very few countries where the Jewish population never faced persecution,” he said.
He further noted that Christianity reached India shortly after the resurrection of Jesus Christ and has since grown significantly in the country.
“Christianity came to India even before it came to Europe. There are 30 million Christians today,” George added.
Speaking about Islam, he said the religion arrived in India during the time of Prophet Muhammad and has continued to thrive in the country.
“Attacked minorities have always come here,” George said during the interaction.
