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“If the U.S. President meets with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, then the protection of the Muslim minority in a Hindu majority India is worth mentioning. If I had a conversation with Prime Minister Modi, who I know well, part of my argument would be that if you don’t protect the rights of ethnic minorities in India, there is a strong possibility that India would at some point start pulling apart,” said former U.S. President Barack Obama in an interview with CNN, who is among the biggest supporters of President Biden within the Democratic Party. “We have seen what happens when you start getting those kinds of large internal conflicts. So that would be contrary to the interests of not only the Muslim India but also the Hindu India. I think it is important to be able to talk about these things honestly,” said Obama.
Soon after, the interview went viral and top BJP leadership brass including Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and many others came out to defend the party, questioning the sanctity of the views when Muslim nations were attacked during Obama’s tenure as U.S. President. Defence minister Rajnath Singh said, “Obama ji should not forget that India is the only country which considers all the people living in the world as family members… He should also think about himself as to how many Muslim countries he has attacked.” Singh’s remarks come a day after finance minister Sitharaman hit back at Obama. She said, “six Muslim-dominated countries were bombed by the US when Obama was its president and that it is shocking Obama had made such remarks when Modi was visiting the US aiming to deepen relations.” She further added, “He was commenting on Indian Muslims … having bombed Muslim-majority countries from Syria to Yemen … during his presidency,” “Why would anyone listen to any allegations from such people?”
Before Sitharaman, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, had targeted Obama for his comments, saying his state police “should prioritize taking care of” the many “Hussain Obama” in India – highlighting the former US President’s Muslim lineage. In his tweet, Sarma said, “There are many Hussain Obama in India itself. We should prioritize taking care of them before considering going to Washington. The Assam police will act according to our own priorities,” responding to a sarcastic jibe at him by a journalist over former US President Barack Obama’s remarks on protection of Muslim minority in India. Hitting out at Sarma over his controversial tweet, the Congress accused him of “openly threatening” minorities in India of “dire consequences” and asked Prime Minister Modi and the Ministry of External Affairs to explain their stand on his remarks.
The views are definitely shocking from the former President, going by the chemistry shared between the two leaders, Obama and Modi. It can prove to be damaging the image of the country where the world is looking up to India as a major hub for investments. India is well seen as the potential alternative to China, and such views can prove to be a dent in India’s image. An appropriate response is the key to the situation.
