India on Thursday blasted the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for attempting to "interfere" in its electoral exercise and continuing to indulge in "propaganda" against the country, "masquerading" as part of an annual report.
In an unusually sharp reaction to the USCIRF's latest report that has criticised India for alleged violations of religious freedom, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the organisation is known to be a "biased" entity with a political agenda.
"The US Commission on International Religious Freedom is known as a biased organisation with a political agenda. They continue to publish their propaganda on India masquerading as part of an annual report," Mr Jaiswal said.
"We really have no expectation that the USCIRF will even seek to understand India's diverse, pluralistic and democratic ethos," he added.
"Their efforts to interfere in the largest electoral exercise of the world will never succeed," Mr Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing.
In its latest annual report, the USCIRF has criticised India for alleged violations of religious freedom.
It has also renewed its recommendation to the US state department to declare India as a "Country of Particular Concern (CPC)" in view of the alleged violations of religious freedom.
It has also alleged that a continued enforcement of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and anti-conversion and cow-slaughter laws has resulted in arbitrary detention, monitoring and targeting of religious minorities and those advocating on their behalf.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
US's Religious Freedom Report "Indophobic, Hinduphobic": Hindu Council "Deliberate Neglect": US Right Body On Death Of Elgar Case Accused Stan Swamy Hindu American Foundation Accuses US Body Of Misinformation On CAA "Got Rs 98 Lakh, But...": Agniveer's Family Amid Debate Over Compensation In Tit-For-Tat Move, Congress Flags PM Modi's Speech In Parliament As Sensex, Nifty Surge, Chief Justice Of India Advises SEBI To Be Cautious "Etched Names In History": Gautam Adani Welcomes Team India Vladimir Putin Says Taliban Russia's "Allies" In Fighting Terrorism PTET 2024: Results Out For Rajasthan Pre-Teacher Education Entrance Test Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.