India rejects US commission report on religious freedom, says comments reflect lack of understanding of country's plurality

The Ministry of External Affairs said that the USCIRF continues to "misrepresent" facts time and again in its statements and reports in pursuance of its motivated agenda.

In response to media queries over comments on India by USCIRF, MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "We have seen the biased and inaccurate comments on India by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). These comments reflect a severe lack of understanding of India and its constitutional framework, its plurality and its democratic ethos."

Bagchi said that this "agenda" just further raises questions about the credibility of the organization.

"Regrettably, USCIRF continues to misrepresent facts time and again in its statements and reports in pursuance of its motivated agenda. Such actions only serve to strengthen concerns about the credibility and objectivity of the organization," he added.

The USCIRF, in its report released in April 2022, had recommended designating India as a "country of particular concern," or CPC claiming religious intolerance in the country.

Earlier, in response to media queries on the observations on India in the USCIRF annual report, then MEA official spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, "We reject the observations on India in the USCIRF Annual Report. Its biased and tendentious comments against India are not new. But on this occasion, its misrepresentation has reached new levels. It has not been able to carry its own Commissioners in its endeavour. We regard it as an organization of particular concern and will treat it accordingly." (ANI)