Former diplomat Bhaswati Mukherjee on Sunday strongly criticised the latest report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). A total of 275 signatories had issued a sharp rebuttal to its recommendations targeting the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW).
In an interview with ANI, responding to a question on what triggered the strong reaction from former judges, diplomats and senior officials, Mukherjee said the signatories included a wide range of experienced public servants. Highlighting the tone of the response, Mukherjee said, "We didn't slam them, we demolished them. And they deserve to be demolished for a simple reason, which is not written in the letter because it had to be courteously worded."
Mukherjee also referred to the contributions of the Indian diaspora in the United States. Referring specifically to the report, Mukherjee said, "And in particular, to say that the R&AW, which is the equivalent of their CIA, and the RSS, which was founded 100 years ago to serve the nation, which was then under colonial rule and since then has always put what we call in India 'Seva,' service to the community first."
Questioning the recommendation for sanctions, she added, " To drag them in, to say that their assets should be frozen, they shouldn't be allowed to travel. What do they think, that they are dealing with some banana republic? Or do they think that they are dealing with Venezuela, whose president was kidnapped and taken away to New York City against his wishes? Or do they think that they can fix us like they are trying to fix, very unsuccessfully in my perspective, the Islamic Republic of Iran? It doesn't work."
Mukherjee said India's democratic institutions are capable of addressing any wrongdoing internally. "In today's world, we are members of the UN Charter, and we are a major emerging country. If any organisation does anything which does not align with India's constitution, they will be dealt with by India's judiciary, by India's democratic mechanisms, etc," she said.
She added, "We have long gone beyond the stage where we need Goras to tell us what to do. We don't need Goras to tell us what to do. On the contrary, the Goras should ask us for some tips on how to behave. We never give them unsolicited advice; they should not give us unsolicited advice."
On Saturday, a total of 275 signatories, including 25 retired judges, 119 retired bureaucrats and 131 armed forces officers, slammed the United States Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) report asking Washington DC to sanction India's Research and Analysis Wing and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) over alleged discrimination against minority communities.
The US-based Commission had alleged that India's "political system facilitates a climate of discrimination toward religious minority communities" despite offering some constitutional protections for freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). It called for sanctions against the RSS and the RAW. In a statement, the signatories called the USCIRF report "disturbing" and "off-the-mark," and said that the US-based organisation's recommendations against the RSS were "highly motivated, and displayed intellectual bankruptcy".(ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
