‘USCIRF a biased organisation with political agenda’: MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal

India on May 2, 2024, hit out at the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and said it is trying to interfere in the Indian election process. Speaking to media during the weekly interaction, Official Spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal described the US government entity which came out with a report on religious freedom earlier this week as a “biased organisation with political agenda.”

“The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is known as a biased organisation with political agenda They continue to publish their propaganda on India masquerading as part of the annual report.

We have really no expectation that the USCIRF will even seek to understand India’s diverse pluralistic and democratic ethos,” said Jaiswal in response to a question on the USCIRF annual report which India demanded that India should be declared by the US government as a country of particular concern because what it describes as particularly severe religious freedom violations.

Jaiswal said, “Their efforts to interfere in the largest electoral exercise of the world will never succeed. India and the US are part of the QUAD (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) formation with Australia and Japan and both sides have often in the past talked about shared values like dedication to civil liberties and freedom.

The unusually strong remarks about the USCIRF however were qualified by Jaiswal while dealing with a question from an Indian media agency saying “I would like to urge you to look at the report page by page an see the kind of observations made there. You will have your own judgement on those issues.” India’s response on the USCIRF annual report of 2024 is the latest in a series of similar exchanges with partner countries like Canada, Germany and Australia.

Jaiswal took up Canadian PM Justin Trudeau’s attendance at the political rally where pro-Khalistani slogans were raised that ultimately prompted South Block on April 29, 2024 to summon the Deputy High Commissioner of Canada. “Trudeau has made such remarks earlier as well. His remarks once again illustrate the political space that has been given to extremists, violence and separatism. This not only impacts the India-Canada bilateral relations but also encourages a climate of violence and criminality in Canada to the detriment of its own citizens,” said Jaiswal.

Alongside his exchanges, there are growing concerns here about the circumstances faced by the Indian students in various US universities especially, in the backdrop of the crackdown on students who protested against Israel’s action in Gaza. Earlier in April, an Indian origin student was arrested and barred by the by the Princeton Universities and there are fears that Indian students may face difficulties if they were apprehended by the authorities while participating in anti-Israel protests on campus.

In response, to the related question, said, “Neither the embassy nor any consulate has been approached by Indian students or their family’s seeking assistance regarding disciplinary action for participation in protests in the universities. We expect all our citizens at home and abroad to respect local laws and regulations.