MELBOURNE, 24 May 2022: On the eve of the crucial Quad meeting in Tokyo, Australia based Indian advocacy group, The Humanism Project (THP) has written a letter to the new Australian Prime Minister Antony Albanese congratulating him for becoming Australia’s 31 st Prime Minister, after the spectacular Labor victory for the House of Representatives in Canberra.
In its letter to the new Australian PM, the THP raises the issue of India’s ‘democratic decline’ and wants him to raise the issue with the Indian PM Narendra Modi, whom he will meet in Tokyo.
The letter says, ” Australia cannot pretend India will be an able and stable partner in the face of all-round democratic and economic decline. Further, the resultant fissures within civil society in India are creating a direct and damaging ripple effect within the Indian diaspora in Australia. The increasingly emboldened right-wing assertions by the supporters of the current regime threaten the peace and harmony within the social fabric of our communities.
In our own interest, Australia must ask India to improve its attitude towards human rights. In the light of the above, we request you,
● To raise Australia’s concerns over India’s democratic decline, in your meeting with Mr. Modi
● To make discussion on human rights an essential part of strategic and trade negotiations
between Australia and India.”
The full letter:
Letter to PM Albanese prior to Meeting with PM Modi
A response to the THP letter from the Indian High Commission, Canberra was sought through email but no reply was received.
