New Delhi: Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Monday slammed former US President Barack Obama for his remarks on the rights of Muslims in India.
Speaking at an event in Jammu, the Defense Minister said, “Obama ji should not forget that India is the only country which considers all the people living in the world as family members...."
Singh added, "He should also think about himself as to how many Muslim countries he has attacked."
Obama in a recent interview with CNN said that India may start “pulling apart” if the government does not protect the rights of its ethnic minorities, a remark which is widely being slammed.
"If the president meets with Prime Minister Modi, then the protection of the Muslim minority in a majority Hindu India - that's something worth mentioning. If I had a conversation with Prime Minister Modi, who I know well, part of my argument would be that if you do not protect the rights of ethnic minorities in India, then there is a strong possibility that India at some point starts pulling apart," he told CNN.
His comments came at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on an official state visit to the United States.
Earlier, on Sunday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman lashed out at Obama for his interview with CNN and said, "I was shocked. When PM Modi was campaigning in the US - and by campaigning I mean speaking about India - a former President of the US is speaking about Indian Muslims."
"And I am saying this with restraint because it involves another country. We want friendship with the US but there too we get remarks about religious freedom in India. A former President - under whose rule six Muslim-majority countries were bombed with more than 26,000 bombs - how will people trust his allegations?" she said.