Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday, April 11, denied reports in Western media about violence against minorities in India, especially Muslims. She said that those commenting on such issues should come and see the reality on the ground as India has the second-largest Muslim population in the world.
In an interaction with Adam Posen of the Peterson Institute of International Economics in Washington DC, during her ongoing tour of the United States, the finance minister alleged that in Pakistan, minorities and even several Muslim sects which don't agree with the majority community have been "decimated and diminished in numbers".
"In sharp contrast, minorities in India have only grown in numbers since 1947 and have been doing their businesses comfortably… They have been getting scholarships. India has the second-largest Muslim population in the world. The answer also lies in the fact that investors have been coming to India. I will say that please come and see for yourself the reality, rather than listening to those who haven't even seen what is happening on the ground," she said during the interaction, which focussed on the "resilience of the Indian economy amid tightening of Indian conditions".
She was responding to a question by Posen on violence against Muslims in India as reported by Western media and also opposition MPs losing their status (referring to Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Parliament).
On emerging markets and G20, she said that India is carrying forward agendas of earlier G20 Presidencies, bringing issues to the table that India considers important and also making way for the future G20 Presidencies to build upon the legacy of India's G20 Presidency.
"Emerging Markets have G20 Presidencies for three consecutive terms from Indonesia in 2022, India in 2023 and Brazil next year. This will bring views of the Emerging Markets to the front and also the voice of the Global South onto the G20 table," Sitharaman added. She further said that the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) are also holding a roundtable on Global Sovereign Debt.