Minorities are living happily in India: PM Modi

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the allegations that minorities are suffering in India are false. In an interview with the US Newsweek magazine, Modi said that people belonging to religious minorities are living happily and prosperously in the country.

"These are usual tropes of some people who don't bother to meet people outside their bubbles. Even India's minorities don't buy this narrative anymore. Minorities from all religions, be it Muslim, Christians, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain or even a micro-minority like Parsis are living happily and thriving in India," Modi said.

In the run-up to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, PM Modi said that while most of governments start losing support by the end of the second term, the BJP government is seeing an increase in its support base. PM Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister after Indira Gandhi to have been featured on the cover of Newsweek magazine.

Refuting all allegations of diminishing media freedom in the country, he said that some people "conflate their own dissonance with the people with dubious claims of diminishing media freedom."

"There are a few people in India and in the West who have lost [connection with] the people of India--their thought processes, feelings and aspirations. These people also tend to live in their own echo chamber of alternate realities," he added.

"India is a democratic country. Democracy is in the constitution and in people's genes. My government has a good track record of delivering its promises. It will be an advantage for us in the Lok Sabha elections," he said.

The prime minister also said that India's relations with China are important.

"Border disputes need to be resolved urgently. Through that, problems in bilateral interactions can be solved. Peace can be maintained along the border through diplomatic and military intervention," Modi added.