“Well, that is their opinion; my opinion is my opinion. Whether you want to believe me or others, you are free to do so, you are the press.”
Yesterday, India’s external affairs ministry rebuked Mahathir’s criticism of a new citizenship law that has sparked violent protests throughout the country over claims of religious discrimination.
New Delhi also said Mahathir’s comments were “factually inaccurate” and urged Malaysia to refrain from commenting on internal developments in India, “especially without a right understanding of the facts”.
The Citizenship Amendment Act fast-tracks applications for immigrants, including Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians, who arrived in India before 2015.
Critics say it is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to undermine Indian Muslims, who make up 14% of the population, and to reshape India as a Hindu nation.
The bill has prompted widespread protests in the north-east of the country, which borders Bangladesh, as many people there say they will be “overrun” by immigrants from across the border.
Mahathir also dismissed concerns that his remarks could impact trade with New Delhi.
When it was pointed out that his previous criticisms of India over the Kashmir issue at the United Nations General Assembly in September had led palm oil importers in India to threaten a boycott of Malaysian products, he said the statement was made by the private sector.
“It wasn’t made by the (Indian) government.”
On a separate matter, Mahathir said he was “sad” that his Pakistani counterpart, Imran Khan, could not attend the summit.
He had spoken to Imran and Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about working together when they met at the UN General Assembly.
“We would have been very happy to have Imran Khan with us but, for some reason of his own, he couldn’t attend.
“He couldn’t be here this time but maybe at a later stage, he can come,” he said when asked to comment on reports that Imran was absent because of pressure from Saudi Arabia.
He had previously dismissed such allegations as untrue.