The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) recently criticized the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), calling it a “biased organization with a political agenda.” According to the MEA, the commission’s latest report misrepresents facts about India and pushes a false narrative designed to discredit the country. “We reject this malicious report,” an official statement from the MEA read, adding that the report further damages USCIRF’s own credibility.
The controversy revolves around the USCIRF’s recent ‘Country Update: India’ report, which was released on Wednesday. In the report, the commission accuses India’s ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), of promoting policies that harm religious minorities and failing to address violence targeting these communities. The report suggests that the government’s actions, such as the passing of laws like the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and anti-conversion regulations, have led to discrimination against Muslims and Christians, who make up about 20% of India’s population.
However, both Indian government officials and Hindu groups have dismissed these claims as baseless. Surendra Kumar Jain, International Joint General Secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), an influential Hindu group, expressed outrage at the report. He labeled it part of a larger conspiracy to defame Hindus and incite religious minorities against the Indian government. “The report is biased and completely devoid of facts,” Jain said, adding that USCIRF never acknowledges India’s religious diversity and harmony. He was particularly angered by the commission’s criticism of the Ram Temple consecration, which the report painted in a negative light.
The Ram Temple in Ayodhya holds great significance for Hindus. Its construction ended a decades-long dispute, and many in India saw it as a moment of pride. But USCIRF accused the BJP of using the temple’s consecration and its election promises as tactics that negatively impacted religious minorities.
The report also touched on the ongoing conflict in Manipur, a northeastern Indian state struggling with ethnic tensions between the Meitei and Kuki communities. The USCIRF claims there’s a religious element to this conflict, pointing out that Christian churches have been attacked. But BJP politician Savio Rodrigues strongly disagreed, calling the situation in Manipur an ethnic conflict driven by competition over land and resources, not religion. He emphasized that Meitei people include Hindus, Christians, and Muslims, while Kukis are predominantly Christian. Rodrigues accused the USCIRF of trying to present a false narrative of Christian oppression in India.
Furthermore, Rodrigues suggested that the U.S. may be subtly involved in the Manipur conflict, alleging that American Baptist Church-linked missionaries have played a role in stirring up tensions. He believes that the report is part of a broader CIA agenda to discredit the Indian government and portray it as an oppressive, Hindu-majority regime. According to Rodrigues, the USCIRF’s narrative is being pushed into churches across India to sow fear among Christians.
Both the MEA and the BJP have stressed that the USCIRF report is an attempt to manipulate religious tensions in India and should not be taken seriously. They argue that the report overlooks important facts, like the number of Hindu temples attacked in Manipur, and only highlights incidents involving churches. Jain and Rodrigues urged the Indian public and international community to reject the report, accusing it of being part of a deliberate attempt to divide India and tarnish its image globally.
2024-India-Country-Update