Doubting democratic exercises 'questionable': MEA on NYT editorial

Reacting sharply to 'The New York Times' editorial that criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to appoint Yogi Adityanath as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said the paper's wisdom to doubt 'democratic exercises' and write such piece was 'questionable'.

"All editorials or opinions are subjective. This case is particularly so. The wisdom in doubting the verdicts of genuine democratic exercises, at home or abroad, is questionable," said MEA official spokesperson Gopal Baglay.

The NYT in its editorial, titled 'Modi's Perilous Embrace of Hindu Extremists', targeted Prime Minister Modi saying that he has played a "cagey game, appeasing his party's hard-line Hindu base while promoting secular goals of development and economic growth".

Dubbing Adityanath as "firebrand Hindu cleric", the editorial further stated that the move to name former as Uttar Pradesh's Chief Minister is a 'shocking rebuke' to religious minorities, adding that it was a long-held dream of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to transform a secular republic into a Hindu state.