New Delhi, April 2 India does not recognize the authority of any foreign entity, including the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), to "comment" on matters concerning the constitutionally protected rights of Indian citizens, the government informed the Parliament on Thursday.
In a written reply to the query in the Rajya Sabha, the Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, said that the USCIRF has, for several years, "relied on questionable sources and selective narratives rather than objective facts in its assessment of religious freedom in India."
Priyanka Chaturvedi, a Member of Parliament from the Shiv Sena (UBT), asked the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) whether India being recommended as a 'Country of Particular Concern' by the USCIRF for the second consecutive year, with recommendations to invoke the Arms Export Control Act and impose targeted sanctions on Indian agencies, constitutes a "measurable reputational cost" to India's bilateral relationship with the US.
Singh, in his response, said, "The Government of India does not recognize the authority of any foreign entity, including the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), to comment on matters concerning the constitutionally protected rights of Indian citizens."
The government said that it therefore, "does not attach any credence" to the findings of the Commission, nor does it consider it necessary to assess or act upon such "distorted and motivated observations."
The "repeated attempts" by the USCIRF to "misrepresent isolated incidents and cast aspersions on India’s pluralistic and inclusive society reflect a deliberate agenda rather than a genuine concern for religious freedom," the Centre said.
Its reports have therefore been "categorically dismissed" by the government as "lacking any basis." The government remains fully committed to upholding and protecting the rights and freedoms of all its citizens, he said.
The MEA was also asked whether the government has assessed the diplomatic impact of such recommendations on ongoing India-US defence procurement, technology transfer agreements and bilateral trade negotiations; and the concrete steps being taken to address the underlying concerns documented in the report to protect India's international standing.
Singh said that India is home to over 1.4 billion people representing virtually all major religions of the world.
"It is a vibrant democracy and a country that celebrates pluralism, with its Constitution guaranteeing fundamental rights to all citizens. These rights are upheld and safeguarded through a robust and time-tested judicial system, vibrant democratic institutions, with effective Parliamentary oversight, alongside a free and independent media," he said.
