Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], March 22 (ANI): Retired IAS officer M Madan Gopal has slammed the United States Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for 'consistently targeting India' to allegedly weaken the country from within.

Gppal is one of the 275 signatories who wrote to the US government urging action over the report by the USCIRF recommending that Washington, DC, sanction India's Research and Analysis Wing and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) over alleged discrimination against minority communities. The signatories consist of 25 retired Judges, 119 retired bureaucrats, including 10 ambassadors, and 131 armed forces officers.

Speaking with ANI on Sunday, he claimed that the Vice-chairman of USCIRF is a 'Pakistani American' and one of the other members is a 'Sharia scholar who studied in Pakistan,' asserting that they pose an anti-India agenda.

'First of all, we should understand the game plan of USCIRF. They are consistently targeting India because India is growing strong, both economically and socially, and also in various respects. So obviously, USCIRF wants to target India with a deliberate intention of weakening the structure within the country... Their credibility is at its lowest. Even the Hindu American Federation, on a number of occasions, questioned its credibility as well as the authority of USCIRF... The vice chairman of USCIRF is a Pakistani American who migrated a few years ago, who could infiltrate USCIRF. Another thing is that one of the members is a Sharia scholar who studied in Pakistan. I'm not saying Pakistan is wrong, but the issue is that they are coming with a particular ideological agenda to target India because India is a country that is arising, a country that is empowered, a country that is rejuvenated, regenerated...,' he said.

Earlier in the day, Former Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police SP Vaid also criticised the report by the United States Commission for International Religious Freedom regarding India's long-term demographic trends and said that the background of the USCIRF members should be scrutinised.

Speaking with ANI, Vaid claimed that some of the members of the USCIRF come from Pakistan and possess a biased view of India.

He said, 'USCIRF often comes out with such reports. There are six members of the USCIRF, and the government of the USA appoints them. Their background should be checked because we have information that some of them come from Pakistan, and they have a biased view of India. If you talk of religious freedom, Pakistan, when it gained independence in 1947, had 21% Hindus. Today, 1.5-2% Hindus are left... When Bangladesh gained independence, it had 21-22% Hindus. Today, 7-8% Hindus are left... In India, the population of Muslims, at the time of independence, was 9.5%. Today, the numbers are roughly 20-25%...,' he said.

The US-based Commission alleged that India's 'political system facilitates a climate of discrimination toward religious minority communities' despite offering some constitutional protections for freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). It called for sanctions against the RSS and the RAW.

The joint statement by former judges, civil servants and armed forces veterans dated March 21 disregarded the USCIRF report as 'disturbing and completely off the mark,' questioning its credibility and balance. It condemned the USCIRF for 'portraying Indian state institutions and socio-cultural organisations like RSS in a negative light.

'The statement said that the USCIRF's recommendation to freeze assets, restricted movement of Bharatiya citizens and placing restrictions on those associated with RSS as 'highly motivated, and displays intellectual bankruptcy and deranged conclusions.' The signatories asked the US government to conduct a background check of the contributors to this report, accusing USCIRF of promoting the agenda of 'anti-Bharat vested interests.' (ANI)