India: Extremism Question 3.12 pm Asked by Lord Ahmed
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of
the rise of extremism in India following the state
elections in Uttar Pradesh. The Minister of State, Foreign and
Commonwealth Office (Baroness Anelay of St Johns) (Con) My
Lords, we are aware of concerns over religious tolerance
and...Request free trial
India: Extremism
Question
3.12 pm
Asked by
-
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have
made of the rise of extremism in India following the state elections
in Uttar Pradesh.
-
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
(Baroness Anelay of St Johns) (Con)
My Lords, we are aware of concerns over religious tolerance
and community relations following recent state elections
in India. Prime Minister Modi has made it
clear that every citizen has the right to follow any faith,
without coercion, and vowed to protect all religious groups.
We welcome this statement. The Indian Government have a range of policies
and programmes to support minority groups, and we
support India’s commitment to the fundamental
rights enshrined in its constitution.
-
(Non-Afl)
I thank the Minister for her reply. Is she aware of the
recent Hindutva vigilante-style attacks on Christians,
Muslims, Sikhs and Dalits? According to a
senior Indian army general, HS Panag, and the
former chief justice of the Delhi High Court, the honourable
Mr Shah, right-wing nationalists such as RSS and the Hindutva
brigade have targeted all minorities in the name of
nationalism. Is the Minister aware of the concerns expressed
in the Pew report on religious intolerance in India, and the United States Commission on
International Religious Freedom’s report on the
constitutional and legal challenges faced by religious
minorities in India? Will Her Majesty’s Government
remind the BJP Government of their obligations under
international law for the protection of minority communities?
-
My Lords, we share the noble Lord’s concern about the
importance of ensuring that there is religious freedom,
because it is a foundation for economic and public security.
I can assure him that the British high commission in New
Delhi discusses human rights issues with institutions such as
the Indian National Commission for Minorities
and state governments. More than that, in direct answer to
his question, the British Government work directly with
the Indian Government to build capacity and
share expertise to tackle challenges, including the promotion
and protection of human rights. Next month, that will include
working with India on its universal periodic
review.
-
(Non-Afl)
My Lords, does my noble friend the Minister agree that,
instead of interfering in the internal democratic processes
of the world’s largest democracy, the Government should be
working closely with Prime Minister Modi’s Government to open
up and liberalise the Indian economy, and encourage more trade
and investment between the UK and India to promote development in both
countries? That is what the people of Uttar Pradesh
overwhelmingly voted for, and that is the clear message we
should send to India—one of our closest friends and
allies—from this British Parliament.
-
My Lords, we are indeed clear friends of India. The UK-India trade relationship is
flourishing. The two Prime Ministers agreed that, when the UK
leaves the European Union, they will make it a priority for
both countries to build the closest possible commercial and
economic relationship—but our friendship also goes to the
development of human rights.
-
(Lab)
I am grateful for that commitment by the Minister, because
many of us will be very concerned that, as a consequence of
Brexit, the focus of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will
be on trade and economic development alone. Will she repeat,
again, that there can never be a trade-off between economic
trade and human rights and that we will remain committed to
raising our concerns with President Modi at every
opportunity, because the recorded level of violence against
minorities has increased and we must raise it with the
Government?
-
My Lords, the Prime Minister referred to reports of violent
offences when she visited India in the first bilateral overseas
visit after she became Prime Minister last summer to show the
importance that we ascribe to our relations
with India. The reports have also been raised
more recently by my honourable friend the Minister for Asia
when an Indian Minister visited this country. So
we will continue to raise those issues. It is for the benefit
of both countries that we develop our trade relationship—but,
as I mentioned earlier, it is our firm belief that good
relations and strong human rights are the underpinning for
successful economic development.
-
(LD)
My Lords, does the Minister agree that what happens between
faith communities in other countries can spill over into the
UK, particularly when we have diaspora communities? We have a
significant Indian community in Bradford. They are
mainly Gujarati. Some are Muslim, some are Hindu. Relations
are good, but on other occasions and with other faiths we
have seen how, when events in the countries from which their
ancestors came worsen, relations in this country can worsen.
I pay tribute to the excellent work that the Minister has
done on interfaith issues in this country. Is this not
something with which the Government should engage, and should
they not point out to the Indian Government that this is not a
matter simply for them?
-
My Lords, with regards to the diaspora, ensuring that there
are good community relations is a serious issue. How could I
think otherwise coming from Woking, where such a significant
proportion of the community brings with them the strength of
their background in the Punjab and enriches our community? It
is important that, across the United Kingdom, faith should
join us, not break us up.
Extract from Lords
motion to approve the UK Convergence
Programme
(Lab):...What does this all mean? It means that the
Government are now engaged upon Brexit, which will dominate
all political and economic debate for a considerable period
ahead. What is conspicuous about Brexit—I hope the Minister
may at least own up to this fact—is that the Government had
absolutely no plans to cope with Brexit and had not
anticipated that the vote might go that way. If they did
anticipate it, they are very culpable for leaving us in this
position, where it is quite clear that our negotiating
position is a good deal weaker than it ought to be. The
Government keep on saying that we are out on a deep, wide
ocean and that we can greatly increase our trade with others
whom we have neglected in the past. I have not noticed the
British economy neglecting markets in the past. Our problem
is being able to be sufficiently competitive to win them. We
are walking out on the largest market of all. Whenever the
Government mention the United States, India or China, do they not realise
that trade with those countries adds up to only a fraction of
that which we enjoy at present under the framework of the
European Community? That is the nature of the risk being
taken...
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