Headlines
India knows religious tolerance, government tells Obama
New Delhi, Feb 6
India has a history of
tolerance, and aberrations can't alter it, the government said Friday
after US President Barack Obama said “acts of intolerance" in India
would have shocked Mahatma Gandhi.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
and Home Minister Rajnath Singh reacted to Obama’s statement at a
National Prayer Breakfast along with Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama in
Washington Thursday.
This is the second time in 10 days that
Obama referred to religious tolerance in India. At a Jan 27 talk in New
Delhi, he had said that “India will succeed so long as it is not
splintered on religious linesâ€.
Asked about Obama’s latest
statement, Jaitely said: “India has a huge history of tolerance. Any
aberration doesn’t alter India's history of tolerance."
Obama had
said: “Michelle and I returned from India - an incredible, beautiful
country, full of magnificent diversity - but a place where, in past
years, religious faiths of all types have, on occasion, been targeted by
other peoples of faith, simply due to their heritage and their beliefs -
acts of intolerance that would have shocked Gandhiji, the person who
helped to liberate that nation."
Rajnath Singh, speaking in
Uttarakhand, said: "India is the only country where you find people of
all sects of all religions and we do not discriminate against anybody on
the basis of religion caste and creed."
Other political parties used Obama's remarks to target the Narendra Modi government.
Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal quipped: "I think Modi will answer this; they (Modi and Obama) are very good friends."
Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad tweeted: “My position on religious liberty endorsed by Obama.â€
Manish
Tewari of the Congress posted a sarcasm-laced tweet: "Did the Prime
Ministerial Tea reinforce Barack's understanding of the revivalism and
intolerance intrinsic in the BJP government."
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad meanwhile asked Obama not to sermonize and instead take care of the Blacks in the US.
In
his Jan 27 speech at Siri Fort, Obama had said: “India will succeed so
long as it is not splintered along the lines of religious faith -- so
long as it's not splintered along any lines -- and is unified as one
nation.â€
The speech, his final before leaving for the US after a
three-day visit, was viewed in the backdrop of controversial utterances
by rightwing fringe elements of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
The White House, however, said the speech had been misconstrued as a kind of a parting shot.
"I
think that's been somewhat misconstrued, if you look at the context of
the entire speech, it's really about inclusivity. It's about the power
of diversity," said Phil Reiner, White House's senior director for South
Asian Affairs.