New Delhi has issued a strong rebuttal to criticism in The Netherlands over press freedom and minority rights in India, saying that the concerns arise from a “lack of understanding” of the country’s history and diversity.
The response came during a press briefing in The Hague on Sunday, where senior Indian officials were questioned by journalists ahead of a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Dutch counterpart Rob Jetten at the Catshuis, the official residence of the Dutch prime minister.
Indian media reports, citing Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant, said Jetten had expressed concerns about declining press freedom in India and the rights of minorities in the country being under “severe pressure.” However, it was not immediately clear whether the Dutch leader had publicly made those remarks.
Responding to queries from journalists over the issue, India’s Ministry of External Affairs secretary (West), Sibi George, said that questions stem from “a lack of understanding” of India’s history and social tapestry.
“India is a country of 1.4 billion people, the largest populated country in the world. A country of civilization of more than 5000 years old. It’s a diverse country… diversity in terms of culture, diversity in terms of languages, diversity in terms of food, diversity in terms of religion,” he said.
“Every religion. Whenever any part of the world there was persecution in the past, they all came to India and thrived in India. This is the beauty of India. This question comes because of the lack of understanding of this,” the senior diplomat continued to say.
On the concerns over press freedom, George said that India is a very “noisy democracy” because “everyone has the freedom of expression, freedom of press in the country.”