MEA India Slams USCIRF Report, Urges To Refrain From 'Agenda-Driven Efforts'

India on Thursday once again urged the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to desist from its "agenda driven efforts" by misrepresenting facts and peddling a "motivated narrative" about India. Responding to media queries regarding the 'Country Update' on India in the USCIRF report, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) slammed the US federal government agency which monitors the universal right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) abroad and makes policy recommendations to the country's President, Secretary of State and US Congress.

"Our views on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom are well known. It is a biased organisation with a political agenda. It continues to misrepresent facts and peddles a motivated narrative about India. We reject this malicious report, which only serves to discredit USCIRF further," said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. "We would urge USCIRF to desist from such agenda driven efforts. The USCIRF would also be well advised to utilise its time more productively on addressing human rights issues in the United States," he added.

It is not for the first time that New Delhi has slammed the "biased and inaccurate comments" made on India by the USCIRF. India has repeatedly and "regrettably" stated over the years that USCIRF continues to "misrepresent facts" time and again in its statements and reports "in pursuance of its motivated agenda". From Covid-19 and Delhi riots to the Citizenship Amendment Bill and religious freedom, the MEA continues to trash USCIRF reports and comments.

"The USCIRF is known as a biased organisation with a political agenda. They continue to publish their propaganda on India masquerading as part of an annual report. We really have no expectation that USCIRF will even seek to understand India's diverse, pluralistic and democratic ethos. Their efforts to interfere in the largest electoral exercise of the world will never succeed," Jaiswal had said during a media briefing, a few months ago.