Washington:Three US lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party have expressed concern over the state of religious freedom in India, saying that the government's targeting of social and political activities, crackdown on free speech and their religiously motivated discrimination against minorities cannot be viewed in isolation. I remain seriously concerned about the Indian government's commitment to protecting the rights of minorities, including the 200 million Muslims in India, Democratic Senator Ed Markey said during a panel discussion on Religious Freedom in India: Challenges and Opportunities, organised by Indian American Muslim Council on the sidelines of the International Religious Freedom summit.
The government's targeting of social and political activities and crackdown on free speech and their religiously motivated discrimination against minorities cannot be viewed in isolation as escalating nationalism threatens to undermine India's longstanding oath to democratic values, he said. Markey said he would continue to stand up for these principles in the United States Senate, and will encourage India to do the same. India has long had an admirable commitment to pluralism. It is the world's largest democracy, whose bonds with the American people continue to grow, but the United States is right to speak up and speak out when a fellow democracy and strategic partner fails to protect the rights of all their people, he said.
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