Ansari said these trends need to be contested both legally and politically. It wants to distinguish citizens on the basis of their faith, give vent to intolerance, insinuate otherness, and promote disquiet and insecurity,” he said. “In recent years, we have experienced emergence of trends and practices that dispute the well-established principle of civic nationalism and interposes a new and imaginary practice of cultural nationalism … It seeks to present an electoral majority in the guise of a religious majority and monopolise political power.
would continue to speak up when a fellow democracy was “unable to protect” all of its people. Markey said that while honouring the strong ties between the two countries, the U.S. Laws on religious conversion, citizenship and other restrictive measures fly in the face of India’s inclusive secular constitution and core tenants of any democracy,” he said. “That is why I remain concerned about Prime Minister Modi’s government’s efforts to peel back the rights of religious minorities in India. “That commitment includes the protection of religious freedom and refraining from actions that limit the rights of minorities,” Mr. The remarks were made at a Congressional briefing, Protecting India’s Pluralist Constitution, organised by Hindus for Human Rights, the Indian American Muslim Council and 15 other organisations.įormer Vice-President of India Hamid Ansari also delivered a video message at the event.Įd Markey, Senior Senator from Massachusetts, said that as the world’s largest democracy, India had for long been committed to universal human rights and the rule of law, but there were concerns now. He authored several books, including the Washington Post best-seller Overruling Democracy: The Supreme Court versus the American People and the highly-acclaimed We the Students: Supreme Court Cases For and About America’s Students, which has sold more than 50,000 copies.Ĭongressman Raskin is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School.As part of a reflective celebration of India’s Republic Day, a Democratic Senator and three Democratic Congressmen expressed their concerns about democracy and human rights in India. He was also a professor of constitutional law at American University’s Washington College of Law for more than 25 years.
He earned a reputation for building coalitions in Annapolis to deliver a series of landmark legislative accomplishments. Prior to his time in Congress, Raskin was a three-term State Senator in Maryland, where he also served as the Senate Majority Whip. He was also renamed Chair of the Oversight Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and Chair of the Rules Subcommittee on Expedited Procedures for the 117th Congress. This is his second term serving on the Rules Committee and the Coronavirus Select Subcommittee. Raskin’s third term serving on the House Judiciary Committee, the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and the Committee on House Administration. Congressman Raskin was sworn into his third Term at the start of the 117th Congress on January 3, 2021. The district includes Montgomery, Carroll, and Frederick Counties. Congressman Jamie Raskin proudly represents Maryland’s 8th Congressional District in the U.S.