Religious freedom improved under UPA: Bush admn

Praising the Manmohan Singh Government for a ‘‘remarkable improvement’’ in religious freedom in India after it came to power, the report said: ‘‘With a Muslim President, Sikh Prime Minister — the first time a member of a religious minority ever held the post — and a Christian head of the governing parliamentary party, the UPA government demonstrated its commitment to a policy of religious inclusion at its highest levels and throughout this generally tolerant and highly diverse society.’’ The PM came in for special praise to withdraw controversial school textbooks that had been condemned for espousing a “Hindu nationalist agenda”.

The report is unlike those during the tenure of the NDA Government, when it alleged that the administration ‘‘failed to act effectively’’ to counter societal attacks against minorities. However, the report felt the UPA at times did not act quickly enough to counter attacks against minorities.