Senior ministers have been notably reluctant to criticise Narendra Modi’s government, with India seen as a crucial economic and strategic partner for Australia.
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has made a veiled criticism of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s treatment of religious minorities and the media, as the federal government announced a plan to turbocharge trade ties with the growing economic superpower.Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said she had met her Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar more times than any other foreign minister.
“There is less tolerance of the very freedoms, including for media and religious practice, that are integral to open societies.“In that context, the next generation of Indians and Australians have a special responsibility to nurture and strengthen the institutions that we hold dear.” Modi is expected to easily win a third term in elections under way in India, but the campaign has focused international attention on allegations of “democratic backsliding” in the world’s largest democracy, including threats to press freedom and the treatment of minorities such as Muslims and Sikhs., with Reporters Without Borders saying the country had adopted “draconian laws” and its low ranking was “unworthy of a democracy”.
Noting that India had the world’s largest population and was expected to have the world’s third-largest economy by 2030, Farrell said, “we cannot talk about the future of the Australian economy without talking about India”.
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