'Request you to learn more': India slams Dutch allegations of 'slide' in freedom of expression

New Delhi: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Dutch counterpart, Rob Jetten, in The Hague in the Netherlands, the latter purportedly expressed concern over the alleged slide in the freedom of expression and the curbs on the rights of the minority community, prompting New Delhi to issue a strong rebuttal. 

“We face these kinds of questions basically because of the lack of understanding of the person who asks the question,” Sibi George, Secretary (West) at the Ministry of External Affairs, said while briefing journalists in The Hague following the prime minister’s visit to the Netherlands.

He was replying to a question from a journalist of the Dutch newspaper, De Volkskrant, which asked for New Delhi’s response to Jetten’s purported statement during his meeting with Modi that the Netherlands and the European Union were worried about reports on declining press freedom and curbs on the rights of Muslims and other minority communities in India.

“In internationally uncertain times, it is of extra importance that we can rely on like-minded and valued partners. With India, we share the importance we attach to democracy, good governance, and a world order based on rules and law,” Jetten posted on X after his meeting with Modi.

He raised with Modi the case of Insiya Hemani, who was purportedly abducted in 2016 from Amsterdam by men allegedly acting on orders of her Indian-origin father, who later took her to India. She was just two years old then. The Dutch courts convicted several accused and repeatedly sought her return, making the case a long-running diplomatic issue between India and the Netherlands.

There was no official confirmation about whether Jetten had indeed raised the issue during his meeting with Modi. George, however, did not dismiss the claim of the journalist of De Volkskrant that the prime minister of the Netherlands had raised the issue with his guest from India.

The senior diplomat strongly dismissed the allegation about the curbs on the rights of the minority communities in India.

“India is a country of 1.4 billion people, the largest populated country in the world. A country of civilization of more than 5000 years old. It's a diverse country. People, you know, in diversity in terms of culture, diversity in terms of languages, diversity in terms of food, diversity in terms of religion,” George said, adding, “Look at India, how beautiful it is. There is no other country in the world which have four religions have originated. Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. These religions originated in India and continue to flourish in India.”

He referred to the participation of over 90 per cent electorates in the recent elections in India. “This is the beauty of India. It's a vibrant democracy. So, we need to have more understanding of people. See, when we talk about reforms and transformation, there was reform in India, India was transformed, and India performed. But it is also important for us to inform,” said the Indian Foreign Service officer of the 1993 batch.

“That is what we are doing. You know, you need to have the information about India's transformation today. That is how we are moving ahead with the democratic process to become a developed country.”

He said that India had become the fastest-growing large economy in the world, with 8 per cent growth for the last 25 years. He said that India had achieved it without compromising on the democratic principles, without resorting to violence to eliminate poverty. “We went through a democratic process of elimination of poverty. This is the beauty of India.”

He noted that when India became independent, the minority population in India had been 11 per cent, while it had now grown to over 20 per cent.

 “Name a country where the population of minorities have gone up, you won't find it other than India. This is the beauty of India. So, I would request you to learn more about India so that you will have more appreciation of what India is and how it is progressing,” said George.

“There are 22 official languages. If you take an Indian currency, there are 22 languages written in it. Again, every language is flourishing in India. This is the beauty of India,” he said, inviting the journalist to visit India to see “how India lives, how thriving an economy it is, how vibrant a democracy it is”.