Top Hindu groups in India on Friday said the US should first study the rich culture and family values of India before commenting on the internal matters of the country.
The statements from Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Hindu Sena came after the US State Department spokesperson on Thursday said that “the US encourages the Indian government to take the necessary steps to offer equal legal protection to same-sex couples” and “we are closely monitoring follow-up steps from the government”.
The US State Department’s statement came a couple of days after the
Supreme Court of India on Tuesday, 17 October refused to
legalise same-sex marriages in the country.
While talking to Sputnik India, VHP spokesperson Vinod Bansal said: “It is very unfortunate that the US is trying to interfere in the internal matters of India. It is also against the set international principles”.
“The US doesn’t know about the rich family values of India. So, they should first learn it before teaching us anything. They should refrain from imposing the western distortion on India”, Bansal said, giving a stern warning to the US.
Echoing the views of Bansal,
Hindu Sena President Vishnu Gupta told
Sputnik India that it is important for the US to understand that India is capable of making laws for its citizens.
He further said that the
Supreme Court has already asked the government to form a committee “to take steps to decide the rights and social entitlements of same-sex couples”, so there is no question about any violation of rights of such couples.
However, Gupta disagreed with Bansal, as he said that such statements should be completely ignored because they aren't of much value to the country.
“If you see, the discussion about the same-sex marriage was only when there was hearing in the Supreme Court. Apart from that, there was no discussion about it. So, everyone knows that this matter is not even important. Therefore, instead of paying attention to such statements is wasting time”, Gupta said.