A day after the US federal commission’s report criticised New Delhi over alleged violations of religious freedom, the Russian foreign ministry has claimed that Washington aims to destabilise India during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

According to the state-owned ‘Russia Today’ news channel, foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that Washington made “unfounded accusations” about religious freedoms in India without understanding the country’s national mentality and history.

“The reason [behind the US accusations] is to unbalance the internal political situation in India and complicate the general elections …,” she said.

This, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said amounted to interference in India’s internal affairs.

Earlier on Thursday, India dismissed the report of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) which accused the ruling BJP of “reinforcing discriminatory nationalist policies”, saying the organisation is completely ‘biased’ and does not understand this country’s diverse, pluralistic and democratic ethos.

“The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is known as a biased organization with a political agenda. They continue to publish their propaganda on India masquerading as part of an annual report,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a media briefing.

”We really have no expectation that USCIRF will even seek to understand India’s diverse, pluralistic and democratic ethos. Their efforts to interfere in the largest electoral exercise of the world will never succeed,” he added.

The USCIRF, in its report released yesterday, alleged that last year, the Indian government failed to address communal violence disproportionately affecting Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, Jews, and Adivasis (indigenous peoples).

“In 2023, religious freedom conditions in India continued to deteriorate. The government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), reinforced discriminatory nationalist policies, perpetuated hateful rhetoric, and failed to address communal violence disproportionately affecting Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, Jews, and Adivasis (indigenous peoples).

”Continued enforcement of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), and anti-conversion and cow slaughter laws resulted in the arbitrary detention, monitoring, and targeting of religious minorities and those advocating on their behalf,” the report has said.