The Hague:
New Delhi has rejected Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten’s reported remarks on India’s declining media freedom and erosion of religious and minority rights, asserting that the country is a “vibrant democracy” that guarantees free speech to all. Addressing the media during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Netherlands, a Ministry of External Affairs official stressed the so-called concerns stemmed from a “lack of understanding” of the country, stressing India’s civilisational depth and pluralism.
“We face these kinds of questions basically because of the lack of understanding of the person who asks the question,” said Sibi George, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs.
George highlighted how India belongs to a civilisation that is five millennia old, stressing the country’s cultural, religious and linguistic diversity.
“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. [There’s]…diversity in terms of culture, diversity in terms of languages, diversity in terms of food, diversity in terms of religion…There is no other country in the world which have four religions have originated. Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. These religions originated in India and continue to flourish in India,” he said.
“Jewish religion was in India for more than 2500 years. Continuously coexisted. India is perhaps only one of those very few countries where the Jewish population never faced a persecution…Christianity came to India immediately after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Continued to flourish in India… Islam came to India during the time of Prophet Muhammad himself and flourished in India,” he added.
The exchange took place when a Dutch journalist questioned the absence of a joint press interaction during PM Modi’s two-day trip to the Netherlands and raised concerns about press freedom and minority rights, including those of Muslim and smaller communities.
The diplomat, citing the recently held assembly elections in several regions in the country, said India is a “vibrant democracy” where “peaceful transition of power” is a key feature. “Recently, we had elections. You know, you need to know what the level of participation was. More than 90% of the electorate voted. This is the beauty of India,” he said.
George said India achieved economic success without “compromising” on democratic principles. “We did not go for violence to eliminate poverty. We went through the democratic process to eliminate poverty.” “We are one-sixth of the total population of the world, but not one-sixth of the problems of the world. This is the beauty of India, which makes us proud. So, every minority thrives,” he said.
“When we became independent, the minority population in India was 11 per cent. Now it is more than 20 per cent. Name a country where the population of minorities has gone up? You won’t find it (anywhere) other than India,” the diplomat said in his rebuttal.
“This is the beauty of India. So, I would request you to learn more about India so that you will have more appreciation of what India is, and how it is progressing,” he said.
What the Dutch PM Said
It is not immediately clear whether Jetten has made the remarks. However, according to Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant, PM Jetten, before meeting PM Modi, told reporters at The Hague that “the Dutch government, too, has concerns regarding developments in India…It is not just about press freedom…but also about the rights of minorities, which are under severe pressure there.”
According to the Daily, Jetten claimed these alleged concerns were “regularly raised” with the Indian government.
Meanwhile, Jetten, in a social media post, stressed, “Both India and the Netherlands attach great importance to democracy, good governance and a world order based on rules and justice.”
He also mentioned a long-running child custody dispute that has featured in previous diplomatic engagements between the two countries.
