When Nirmala Sitharaman compared India and Pakistan over how they treat their minorities…
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00:00India has the second largest Muslim population in the world and the population is only growing in numbers.
00:09There is widespread reporting in the Western press about MPs from the opposition party losing status, about Muslim minorities in India being subjected to violence.
00:39I'm not going to ask you to deny or comment or rebut. What I would ask is, are these perceptions affecting in any way your sense of investment in India or capital flows or has this not been an issue?
00:53I would think the answer for that lies with those investors who are coming to India and they have been coming.
01:01And as somebody who is interested in receiving investments, I would only say come have a look at what's happening in India.
01:12Rather than listen to perceptions being built by people who have not even visited on the ground and who produce reports.
01:21India has the second largest Muslim population in the world and the population is only growing in numbers.
01:32If there is a perception or if there is in reality, their lives are difficult or made difficult with the support of the state,
01:46which is what is implied in most of these write-ups, I would ask, will this happen in India in the sense,
01:54will the Muslim population be growing than what it was in 1947? As opposed to, let us say, I take the name of the country
02:06and therefore the contrast can be sharper as opposed to Pakistan which was formed at the same time.
02:14India was divided into two, Pakistan. Pakistan declared itself an Islamic country but however said minorities will be protected.
02:24Every minority has been dwindling in its number or if I may use a word which is harsher, decimated in Pakistan.
02:36Even some of the Muslim sects have also been decimated. Violence prevails against Muhajirs, Shia and every other group you can name
02:51which is not accepted by the mainstream, I don't know, Sunnis probably. Whereas in India you would find every strand of Muslim
03:01doing their business, their children getting educated, fellowships are being given by the government
03:08and I would want to see where exactly is that one state where. And again, law and order is a very state subject.
03:17It's not the government of India subject. Each province has its elected government. They take care of the law and order in those states.
03:24So, across the board in India if violence is happening to make Muslims get affected, itself is a fallacy as a statement.
03:37It cannot be so. So, I would rather invite these people who write these reports to come to India.
03:44I'll host them. I'll host them. Let them come and let them travel around India and prove their point.