NEW DELHI: The National Commission for Minorities has termed unnecessary the UK government’s concern for minorities in India, adding that UK government’s statement on the issue amounts to “scaremongering”.
Vice-chairperson of the minorities panel George Kurian said the reported decision of the UK government to take up the issue of the alleged persecution of Christians in India is deplorable.
Citing recent violence against minorities in New Zealand and Sri Lanka and the plight of minorities in neighbouring countries, Kurian said the condition of minorities is much better in India compared to other countries.
Dismissing UK Foreign Office Minister Mark Field’s statement as “alarmist”, Kurian said, “The reported statement of the UK Foreign Office minister Mark Field that there has been an increased worsening in incidents against minorities in recent years is alarmist and amounts to scaremongering. No such trend has come to the notice of the National Commission for Minorities.”
Claiming that India is the “safest country” for minorities in the world, Kurian said minorities are subjected to discrimination in Western countries too and no other country takes as much care of minorities as India does.
“In the US, people from five countries are banned from entering that country because they belong to a particular religion,” Kurian said.
He also termed Field’s statement “politically motivated” and said there seemed to be a concerted campaign to tarnish the image of India globally.
“India is a robust democracy has systems and institutions in place to take care of the interests of the minorities,” said Kurian, in a statement.