New Delhi: At a press conference in the Netherlands, Sibi George, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs, strongly rejected concerns about minority rights and press freedom in India. Responding to the question, George defended India’s democratic and social structure, saying that the country’s strength lies in its diversity, religious co-existence and democratic freedom.Addressing foreign journalists and observers in The Hague, George said the concerns raised on these issues stemmed from a “lack of understanding” about India’s history, institutions and social fabric.“India is a country of 1.4 billion people, the most populous country in the world. A country with a civilization more than 5,000 years old. It is a diverse country,” George said, describing India as a society where many religions, cultures, languages ​​and communities co-exist peacefully.Describing India as a “vibrant democracy”, the senior diplomat said freedom of expression and freedom of the press are deeply embedded in the country’s democratic culture.“You know how many of these there are in India? Smartphones? 900 million of them. And these are very important weapons,” he said, referring to freedom of public participation and communication in India.He said, “Everyone in the country has freedom of expression, freedom of the press. And that makes our democracy a very noisy democracy. And we are proud of that.”George highlighted India’s recent elections as an example of democratic participation and said more than 90 percent of voters voted. “This is the beauty of India. It is a vibrant democracy,” he said.The External Affairs Ministry official also countered criticism regarding minorities in India and argued that religious and linguistic communities continue to flourish in the country.He said, “When we became independent, the minority population in India was 11%. Now it is more than 20. Name a country where the minority population has increased. You will not find this anywhere else but India.”Pointing to India’s long history of hosting and protecting diverse religions, George said Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism all originated and flourished in India. He also noted the historical presence of Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities in the country.He said, “Judaism was in India for more than 2,500 years, co-existing continuously. India is one of the few countries where the Jewish population never faced persecution.”On Christianity, George said that “Christianity came to India soon after the resurrection of Jesus Christ” and that the religion “came to India long before it came to Europe”.Speaking about Islam, he said, “Islam came to India during the time of Prophet Muhammad and flourished in India.”He repeatedly described India’s multicultural coexistence as “the beauty of India”, arguing that persecuted communities from different parts of the world have historically found refuge in the country.George also highlighted the linguistic diversity of India and said that all the major languages ​​are continuing to flourish. “There are 22 official languages. If you take an Indian currency, there are 22 languages ​​written on it,” he said.Linking India’s democratic structure to its economic rise, the diplomat said the country has achieved sustained development without compromising democratic principles.“Today we are the largest, fastest growing major economy in the world. An increase of 8% in the last 25 years. And how did we achieve it? Without compromising our democratic principles,” he said.George said, “We did not use violence to eliminate poverty. We adopted the democratic process to eliminate poverty.”Concluding his remarks, George invited critics and foreign observers to visit India and experience first-hand its diversity and democratic environment.He said, “So I would invite you to come to India and see for yourself how India lives, how prosperous its economy is, what a vibrant democracy it is.”