Curb rise of Hindutva extremism, Modi told
Religious freedom activists and several other groups in the US have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take all necessary measures to curb the rise of Hindutva extremism and punish groups involved in violence against religious minorities in the country.
The request was made during a briefing titled ‘Religious Freedom in India: A Briefing on Capitol Hill’, organised by the Indian-American Muslim Council, at the US Capitol on Thursday attended by activists, Congressional staffs, State Department officials, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and civil society members.
“The failure of PM Modi to definitively condemn and to definitively distance himself from the extreme elements of his party has played a substantial and significant role in bringing about the situation that we see today,” said Katrina Lantos Swett, former chair, USCIRF.
India maintains its Constitution guarantees fundamental rights to all its citizens, including the right to freedom of religion and the USCIRF has no locus standi to pass its comment on Indian citizens’ constitutionally protected rights.
The participants urged Modi to condemn such violence against religious minorities and take all necessary measures to curb the rise of Hindutva extremism and punish the Hindutva groups involved in violence.
Swett, the daughter of Tom Lantos, the only Holocaust survivor to have ever been elected to US Congress, who founded the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, said Muslims and Christians are the “primary victims”. “Inflammatory rhetoric and a conception of India’s national identity increasingly based on religion have contributed to an atmosphere of intimidation, exclusion, and even violence directed at non-Hindus,” Swett alleged.