FM takes on West for its negative perception of Muslims in India

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said that Muslims in India are doing much better than their counterparts living in Pakistan. She was addressing to the negative Western "perception" of India, at an event in Washington on Monday.

Responding to a question on perceptions affecting capital flows or investment in India, Sitharaman said, "I would think the answer for that lies with those investors who are coming to India, and they have been coming."

"And as somebody who is interested in receiving investments, I would only say, come have a look at what's happening in India, rather than listen to perceptions being built by people who have not even visited on the ground and who produce reports," she added.

She also criticised the widespread reporting in the Western media about MPs in the opposition party losing status, and about Muslim minorities in India being subjected to violence.

"India has the second-largest Muslim population in the world, and that population is only growing in numbers. If there is a perception, or if there's in reality, their lives are difficult or made difficult with the support of the State, which is what is implied in most of these write-ups, I would ask, will this happen in India in the sense, will the Muslim population be growing than what it was in 1947?" said the Finance Minister.

She said law and order is a state subject in India and each province has its elected government that takes care of the law and order in those states. She said the notion that across the board in India, violence against Muslims is happening is a fallacy.

"It cannot be so. Each province and its police are different. They are run by the elected governments in those provinces. So, that itself tells you how these reports have no clue of the law and order systems in India," the finance minister said.

"To say it's all the blame of the government of India. I would like to say then, between 2014 and today, has the population dwindled, has the debts been disproportionately high in any one particular community," she said.

"I would rather invite these people who write these reports to come to India. I'll host them, let them come and travel alone to India and prove their point," Sitharaman said.

Taking a dig at Pakistan, Sitharaman said despite declaring itself an Islamic country that promised to protect minorities, every minority group in Islamabad has dwindled in numbers and even some Muslim sects have been decimated.

"Violence prevails against Mohajirs, Shia and every other group you can name which is not accepted by the mainstream... I don't know... Sunnis probably. Whereas in India, you would find every strand of Muslims doing their business, their children getting educated. Fellowships are being given by the government," news agency ANI quoted her as saying.

"Blasphemy laws, in most cases, are used to carry out a personal vendetta. Victims are immediately presumed guilty, even without proper investigation and holding the trial under a jury in the neighbouring country," she added.

Around 62 per cent of the world's Muslims live in the Asia-Pacific region (from Turkey to Indonesia), with over one billion adherents. The largest Muslim population in a country is in Indonesia, a country home to 12.7 per cent of the world's Muslims.