Prime Minister Narendra Modi said “Democracy is part of our spirit, our blood”.
Democracy, minority rights and freedom of expression in India came to the fore today during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s interaction with the US media at the White House. The US and India, Prime Minister Modi said, have “overwhelming respect” for each other because “we are democracies and it is in the DNA of the US and India to expand democratic institutions”.
Interacting with reporters at a joint media conference following bilateral talks with President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Modi spoke at length about democracy in India when he responded to a question from an American journalist.
When asked what India will do to improve the rights of religious minorities, Prime Minister Modi said: “I am amazed at what you said. We are a democracy. Democracy is part of our spirit, our blood. We live and breathe democracy And that’s what it is in our constitution.”
“If there are no human values and human rights, there is no democracy… If we live democracy, there is no discrimination,” he said.
His government Prime Minister Modi added “Can deliver and when we deliver there is no discrimination on caste, creed, religion” and quoted the motto of “Sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas (development for all and trust of all ).
Everyone has access to amenities, Prime Minister Modi claimed, regardless of religion, caste, age or geography.
The media demand came after three US lawmakers – Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – made headlines declaring they would boycott the prime minister’s speech to the joint session of the US Congress and spoke of “oppressed religious minorities” in India.
In an interview ahead of the White House meeting, former US President Barack Obama said India risks “falling apart” if the Muslim minority is not respected.
“If I were talking to Prime Minister Modi, who I know well, part of my argument would be that if you don’t protect the rights of ethnic minorities in India, chances are India will start to split apart at some point. pull.” Obama said in an interview with NewsMadura.
“When the (US) president meets with Prime Minister Modi, the protection of the Muslim minority in a predominantly Hindu India is something worth mentioning,” Obama said.
However, he added that discussing human rights with allies was always “complicated”.
At the joint press conference, President Joe Biden said that democratic values played a role in his bilateral with Prime Minister Modi and that they had a “good discussion” about it.
“We believe in the dignity of every citizen, it’s in America’s DNA and I believe in India’s DNA that has a whole world stake in our success,” said Biden, who recently made headlines and China’s leader Xi Jinping equated with “dictators”.
