India on Sunday strongly rejected reported remarks by Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten on press freedom and minority rights
With the Centre asserting that such comments reflected a “lack of understanding” of the country’s democratic and civilisational foundations.
The response came during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Netherlands after a Dutch journalist questioned the absence of a joint press conference and referred to concerns surrounding media freedom and the treatment of minorities, including Muslims and smaller communities.
Speaking to reporters in The Hague, Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (West) Sibi George said such criticism often stemmed from an inadequate understanding of India’s democratic structure and social diversity. “We face these kinds of questions basically because of the lack of understanding of the person who asks the question,” George said.
He described India as a pluralistic and vibrant democracy with a civilisation spanning more than 5,000 years. “India is a country of 1.4 billion people, the world’s largest populated country. It is a civilisation over 5,000 years old. It is diverse in culture, language, food and religion,” he said.
India highlights religious coexistence
George underlined that four major religions — Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism — originated in India and continue to thrive in the country. “There is no other country in the world where four religions have originated,” he said.
He also pointed to the long-standing presence of other faiths in India, saying Jewish communities had lived in the country for more than 2,500 years without persecution, while Christianity and Islam had flourished for centuries.
“Christianity came to India soon after the resurrection of Jesus Christ and continued to flourish in India. Islam came to India during the time of Prophet Muhammad and flourished in India,” he added.
‘Vibrant democracy’
George cited India’s electoral participation and peaceful democratic transitions as proof of the country’s democratic strength. “Recently, we had elections. You need to know the level of participation. More than 90 per cent of the electorate voted. This is the beauty of India,” he said.
Calling India a “vibrant democracy”, George said the country had pursued economic progress and poverty alleviation through democratic means without compromising its principles. “We did not go for violence to eliminate poverty. We went through the democratic process to eliminate poverty,” he said.
He further argued that the increase in India’s minority population reflected coexistence and inclusivity.
“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 minority population has gone up. You won’t find it anywhere other than India,” George said.
“This is the beauty of India. I would request you to learn more about India so that you will have greater appreciation of what India is and how it is progressing,” he added.
Dutch media report
The remarks came after reports that Jetten had expressed concerns over developments in India ahead of his meeting with Modi.
According to Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant, Jetten said the Dutch government had concerns “not just about press freedom” but also about “the rights of minorities, which are under severe pressure there”, adding that such issues were “regularly raised” with the Indian government.
However, in a social media post after meeting Modi, Jetten said both India and the Netherlands attached “great importance to democracy, good governance and a world order based on rules and justice”. He also referred to a long-running child custody dispute that has featured in earlier diplomatic engagements between the two countries.
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