"India’s Ministry of External Affairs secretary (West), Sibi George, said that questions stem from "a lack of understanding" of India's history and social tapestry. "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 diversity in terms of culture, diversity in terms of languages, diversity in terms of food, diversity in terms of religion," he said."
""Every religion. Whenever any part of the world there was persecution in the past, they all came to India and thrived in India. This is the beauty of India. This question comes because of the lack of understanding of this," the senior diplomat continued to say. He linked the criticism to misunderstanding of India’s historical role as a destination for persecuted communities."
"On the concerns over press freedom, George said that India is a very "noisy democracy" because "everyone has the freedom of expression, freedom of press in the country." He presented broad freedom of expression and press as evidence against claims of declining press freedom."
"The response came during a press briefing in The Hague on Sunday, where senior Indian officials were questioned by journalists ahead of a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Dutch counterpart Rob Jetten at the Catshuis. Indian media reports, citing Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant, said Jetten had expressed concerns about declining press freedom in India and the rights of minorities in the country being under "severe pressure.""
India issued a strong rebuttal to criticism from the Netherlands regarding press freedom and minority rights in India. The response was delivered during a press briefing in The Hague ahead of a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Dutch counterpart Rob Jetten. Dutch concerns were reported as relating to declining press freedom and minority rights facing severe pressure, though it was unclear whether Jetten made the remarks publicly. India’s Ministry of External Affairs secretary (West), Sibi George, said the concerns arise from a lack of understanding of India’s history and social diversity. He described India as a 1.4 billion-person civilization with more than 5,000 years of history and broad cultural, linguistic, religious, and food diversity. He characterized India as a noisy democracy where freedom of expression and press are widely available.
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