While giving befitting reply to the US media's question on Muslim rights Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said that democracy is in India’s DNA, it is in India’s spirit, it runs in our veins...There is no scope for any discrimination."

 

 

The prime minister made the remarks while taking questions at a rare press conference with United States President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington.

 

At the press conference, a journalist pointed out that several human rights groups have accused the Modi government of discriminating against religious minorities and taking actions to silence its critics.

 

 

“What steps are you and your government willing to take to improve the rights of Muslims and other minorities in your country and to uphold free speech?” the journalist asked.

 

Referring to a statement Biden had just made about democracy being in the DNA of both America and India, Modi said, “The Indian and American DNA has democracy. Democracy is our spirit. Democracy is in our bloods. We love democracy. Our ancestors translated it into words in the constitution. And the government works on the basis of democratic constitution.”

 

Claiming that when he talks about how democracies deliver, Modi said this meant it delivers without any discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, religion, gender, age, geography and, alluding to the Indian case, said that welfare benefits are based on the principle of access to all. He said, “If there are no human values, no humanity, human rights, it is not a democracy,” reiterating the principle of “sabka saath, sabka vikaas, sabka vishwas, sabka prayas” that has been his government’s stated motto.