Indian official criticizes former US President

Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman criticized Obama's statement. (Source: The Hindu)

Speaking on June 25, Minister Sitharaman said she was shocked by such comments by former US President Barack Obama, in the context of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to the US to deepen bilateral relations.

“He comments on Indian Muslims… while he has sent troops to Muslim-majority countries from Syria to Yemen while in office,” the senior official said.

Last week, speaking on CNN (USA), Mr. Obama said that the issue of "protecting minority Muslims in India, a country with a majority of Hindus living" should appear in the discussion between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden.

The former US President said that without such protection, it is not impossible that “at some point, India will start to split up.”

The US State Department has raised concerns about the rights of Muslims and other religious minorities in India under Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, but New Delhi has repeatedly said it treats all citizens equally.