(AFP) – After receiving a rockstar welcome in Sydney, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautioned Wednesday that “separatist elements” should not be allowed to harm India-Australia ties.
Australia, enticed by the world’s most populous market and the possibility of a counterbalance to a growing China, has dismissed concerns about India’s treatment of opponents and minorities, claiming these are local matters.
Modi seems to have no such reservations.
After meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Admiralty House on Sydney Harbour, the Indian Prime Minister lashed out at recent “attacks” on Hindu temples in Australia, reportedly undertaken by Sikh separatists.
“We will not accept any elements that harm the friendly and warm ties between India and Australia by their actions or thoughts,” Modi told reporters, saying the pair had discussed “activities of separatist elements” in the past.
“Prime Minister Albanese has once again assured me today that he will take strict actions against such elements in the future,” Modi said according to an official translator.
“Prime Minister Albanese has once again assured me today that he will take strict actions against such elements in the future,” Modi said according to an official translator.
In events extensively covered in Indian media this year, anti-Modi graffiti was purportedly sprayed on a half-dozen temples in Australia by people advocating the establishment of a Sikh nation known as Khalistan.
Protests by the Sikh diaspora erupted last month throughout the world in response to a protracted manhunt for a firebrand separatist that saw hundreds of Indian police mobilized and mobile internet service banned for days across Sikh-majority Punjab state.
Albanese, who has previously criticized the graffiti events in Australia, made no mention of them in his speech, instead praising a new agreement encouraging student, researcher, academic, and corporate exchanges with India.
The center-left politician claimed he had attended “a rather extraordinary event” the night before, alluding to Modi’s 12,000-person campaign gathering at a Sydney area.
“Prime Minister Albanese has once again assured me today that he will take strict actions against such elements in the future,” Modi said according to an official translator.
Relationship that is ‘respectful’
When asked if he meant to discuss such concerns with Modi, the Australian leader said he met with individuals “one-on-one” and would not reveal specifics of his “respectful” relationship.
Rights organisations claim that since Modi and his Hindu nationalist BJP stormed to power in 2014, India’s 200 million Muslims have witnessed greater discrimination and violence.
According to Human Rights Watch’s Elaine Pearson, “the world’s largest democracy” has become significantly less free and dangerous for its opponents under Modi.
However, as Australia grapples with a more aggressive China, it is seeking economic and political partners in a more volatile region.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the boss!” Albanese had informed the event’s passionate Modi fans that the Indian leader was a “dear friend.”
Albanese has dodged inquiries about his support for Modi, a nationalist leader who is up for re-election next year and has been chastised for persistent democratic regress and discrimination against India’s hundreds of millions of non-Hindus.
When asked if such claims against Modi bothered him, Albanese told a radio interviewer, “Well, India is, of course, the world’s largest democracy.”
“Australia will always stand up for human rights wherever they occur on the planet,” he continued.
When asked if he meant to discuss such concerns with Modi, the Australian leader said he met with individuals “one-on-one” and would not reveal specifics of his “respectful” relationship.
Rights organization’s claim that since Modi and his Hindu nationalist BJP stormed to power in 2014, India’s 200 million Muslims have witnessed greater discrimination and violence.
According to Human Rights Watch’s Elaine Pearson, “the world’s largest democracy” has become significantly less free and dangerous for its opponents under Modi.
However, as Australia grapples with a more aggressive China, it is seeking economic and political partners in a more volatile region.
India’s economic performance has been mixed in the past decade, with missteps curbing growth. But hundreds of millions of people have been lifted out of poverty.
It is now the second-fastest growing economy in the G20 and a multi-trillion-dollar market.
The Indian-Australian community is the second-largest in Australia after Britain, with 673,000 Indian-born citizens in a population of 26 million.
Almost 90,000 Indian students are enrolled at Australian universities, the largest overseas contingent after China.