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US religious freedom report to have 'serious consequences' for Indian business

Amit Shah
By Our Representative
The Washington DC-based Centre for Pluralism even as welcoming the recent United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) report, released by the US Department of the State (DOS), agreeing with the suggestion on the need for “penalties” against Union home minister Amit Shah, “the man behind the violations.”
Pointing towards USCIRF listing India as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), the Center for Pluralism said, this should have “severe consequences for India.” It believes, following this, “The major global corporations that are interested in India's prosperity will hesitate to do business in India due to social and political unrest. Most companies in the world want to do business in a stable nation.”
Offering “solutions”, the Centre said, the CPC title could be withdrawn if the Government of India recognizes “all citizens are equal under the law.” As a first step, the GoI, it said, should issue visas to the commissioners of USCIRF to verify the truth and make the recommendations to rectify the wrongs heaped on Indian Citizens, particularly the Kashmiri citizens.
“We urge the Prime Minister to speak up and tell the nation that he will not tolerate lynching, cow vigilantes, raping, and harassment of fellow Indians”, the Centre said in a statement, adding, he should also ensure that “the calls for Christians and Muslims to convert to Hinduism or live as second class citizens” are pushed back, and the callers “face serious consequences.”

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