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Posted by admin on 2024-05-14 |

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The Russian Foreign Ministry has accused the US of attempting to destabilize India during the 2024 general election, following a report by a US federal commission criticizing New Delhi for alleged violations of religious freedom.

Russian Criticism of US Actions

According to RT news, a Russian government-owned network, foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has said Washington lacks understanding of India’s national mentality and history and continues to make “unfounded accusations” about religious freedoms in India.

“Regular unfounded accusations by the United States against New Delhi. we see that they groundlessly accuse not only India but also many other states...of violating religious freedoms are a reflection of the United States’ misunderstanding of the national mentality, the historical context of the development of the Indian state and disrespect for India as a state,” she said.

Describing the interference as a “colonial period mentality,” the Russian spokesperson accused the White House of complicating the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

‘Biased’ USCIRF Report

This comes after the latest annual report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) criticised India for alleged violations of religious freedom. The commission also renewed its recommendation to the US Department of State to declare India a “Country of Particular Concern”.

Ministry of External Affairs’ Response

Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said last week that the USCIRF is known to be a “biased” entity with a political agenda. Jaiswal expressed skepticism that the USCIRF would understand India’s diverse, pluralistic, and democratic ethos and asserted that their attempts to interfere in India’s electoral process would fail.

"We really have no expectation that the USCIRF will even seek to understand India's diverse, pluralistic and democratic ethos," Mr Jaiswal said. "Their efforts to interfere in the largest electoral exercise of the world will never succeed," he added.

Dismissal of Allegations Against Assassination Plan

Additionally, Moscow dismissed allegations of an Indian official's involvement in a plot to assassinate Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

"According to the information we have, Washington has not yet provided any reliable evidence of the involvement of Indian citizens in the preparation of the murder of a certain GS Pannun. Speculation on this topic in the absence of evidence is unacceptable," Zakharova said at the briefing.

Controversial Washington Post Report

The remarks came in connection with a report in The Washington Post that cited unnamed sources and named a Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) officer in connection with the alleged plot to kill Pannun. The report stated that India is trying to do the same as Russia and Saudi Arabia against its enemy.

The Indian External Affairs Ministry rejected The Washington Post's report, describing it as "unwarranted and unsubstantiated" imputation on a "serious matter" that is under investigation. Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the ministry, termed the report "speculative and irresponsible".