Member of European Parliament accuses Narendra Modi of having "problematic history of racism"

London, July 25: A Spanish member of the

parliament (MEP), Izaskun Bilbao Barandica, has raised many eyebrows on Prime Minister

's lack or selective knowledge about India and its facts, reported

.

According to her, Modi has a "highly problematic history of racism", and that following the 2002 Gujarat riots, the United Kingdom had "announced a 10-year boycott".

Revealing another instance of selective knowledge, the MEP claimed that "During his electoral campaign, Modi reiterated his rhetoric on immigration, calling for all non-Hindus to leave India and go back to their own countries".

Barandica, who hails from the Basque region of Spain, wrote: "India's population includes a large number of minority groups who typically live in extremely poor conditions".

She asked three questions under Rule 30:

• "What steps will the EU take, in cooperation with the Indian Government, to address the issue of inequality in India?"
• "Is this issue of social, racial and religious discrimination part of the ongoing EU-India Free Trade Agreement negotiations?"
• "Considering the fact that national policies on minorities could potentially pose a threat to peace and security in South Asia, is the EU pursuing a collective agreement with countries in the region to address such concerns?"

She addressed the question to the European Commission vice-president, and called on the EU to address the "issue of inequality" in India.

Barandica is part of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats of Europe (ALDE).

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