Obama concerned about Muslim minority in India: Here's what PM Modi, Biden told him
PM Modi said his government 'can deliver and when we deliver there is no discrimination on caste, creed, religion'. He also quoted the motto of Sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas' (development for all and trust from all)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden. AFP.
“Believing in the dignity of every citizen is in India’s DNA,” said US President Joe Biden, hours after his predecessor Barack Obama claimed India risks “pulling apart” if the Muslim minority is not respected and called for the issued to be raised with PM Modi during his State Visit.
Addressing a joint press conference with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Biden said: “We believe in the dignity of every citizen, it’s in America’s DNA and I believe in India’s DNA that a whole world has a stake in our success.”
What did Obama say?
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In an interview to CNN, Obama said, “If I had a conversation with Prime Minister Modi, who I know well, part of my argument would be that if you do not protect the rights of ethnic minorities in India, there is a strong possibility at some point that India starts pulling apart.”
“If the President (Biden) meets with PM Modi, then the protection of the Muslim minority in a majority-Hindu India, that’s something worth mentioning,” Obama said, adding that addressing human rights with allies was always “complicated.”
‘We live in democracy, there’s no question of discrimination’
Interacting with reporters at a joint press conference after bilateral talks with Biden, PM Modi, responding to a question from a US journalist, spoke at length about democracy in India.
The journalist asked Modi what India will do to improve the rights of religious minorities, to which the Prime Minister said, “I am surprised at what you said. We are a democracy. Democracy is part of our spirit, our blood. We live and breathe democracy. And it is in our constitution.”
“If there are no human values and human rights, there is no democracy… When we live democracy, there is no question of discrimination,” he said.
Also Read: ‘Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib spitting poison by not attending PM Modi’s US Congress address’
The Prime Minister went on to say that his government “can deliver and when we deliver there is no discrimination on caste, creed, religion”. He also quoted the motto of “Sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas (development for all and trust from all)”.
PM Modi asserted that everyone has access to amenities irrespective of religion, caste, age or geography.
The question from the US journalist came after US lawmakers — Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — earlier announced that they would not attend PM Modi’s address to the joint session of the US Congress and claimed of “repressed religious minorities” in India.
With inputs from agencies
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