CAA, Farmers’ Struggle, Love Jihad… US Secretary of State who called and inquired!
New Delhi: US Secretary of State Anthony Blingen is on a two-day visit to New Delhi. He is said to have met with civil society representatives in Delhi and discussed religious issues, press freedom, the peasant struggle, love jihad violence, minority rights, and Israeli spy software pegasus.
Anthony Blingen speaking at a press conference in Delhi. He said the Indo-US relationship was one of the ‘most important in the world and the people of the two countries were ‘connected by shared affection’.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blingen arrived in India on Tuesday for a two-day visit. This is the first visit to India since the inauguration of US Secretary of State Anthony Blanken.
Bilateral relationship
US Secretary of State Anthony Blingen called on Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar this morning. The two are said to have discussed various issues during the meeting, including bilateral relations.
India is concerned
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with civil society representatives in Delhi today on religious issues, press freedom, the peasant struggle, love jihad violence, and the rights of minorities. As part of that, he met with the Dalai Lama’s delegation. China is expected to strongly oppose the meeting. The federal government is also said to have the opportunity to express concern.
What was talked about
Sources said the Tibet issue was not directly raised during a meeting with the Dalai Lama group. But China’s stance on the issue is said to have been discussed. A U.S. State Department spokesman confirmed that Anthony Blinkan had met with the director of the Dalai Lama’s office in Delhi on Wednesday morning.
Flexible Blingen
Speaking in New Delhi today, the US Secretary of State spoke about the US investigation into the January 6 attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters. Incidents like this then are the biggest challenge for all democracies in the world. He spoke of the challenge to India and the United States in particular. And according to Blinken, the Indo-US relationship is one of the “most important” in the world. He said the people of the two countries are “connected by shared virtues”.
Rule of law
And as Blinken says, India and the United States have strong democracies. The Indian people and the American people believe in the fundamental freedoms of humanity, including equality of opportunity, the rule of law, religious freedom and faith, and this freedom is the fundamental principle of our two countries. He also praised the advanced democracies for solving problems by talking like friends. We believe that people from all walks of life deserve to have a voice in government and that they should be treated with respect, whoever they are.
Discussed
Blingen, meanwhile, spoke with a number of key executives about religious affairs, press freedom, the peasant struggle, love jihad violence and minority rights. Blingen met with key figures, including lawyer Maneka Kurusami, trust founder Kwaja Iftikhar Ahmed and representatives of the Ramakrishna Mission.
What was talked about
During the meeting, which lasted about 45 minutes, the Modi government passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the enacted anti-change (love-jihad) laws, some of which drew international criticism. Other issues were reportedly discussed, including a list of journalists and social activists believed to be under surveillance using the Israeli spy software Pegasus. He is also said to have talked about the struggle of farmers on the borders of Delhi over the agrarian reform laws passed last year.
