A few commentators pointed to similarities between the image and propaganda materials used by the anti-Islam movement Pegida (Patriotic Europeans against the Islamisation of the West), where protestors regularly wave placards of Merkel dressed in Islamic garb.
Advertisement
Germany has said it expects to receive one million migrants this year.
“We have introduced the GST Bill in parliament; we are hopeful to roll it out in 2016″, Modi said at the Indo-German Summit here, sharing the dais with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The arrivals brought the number of asylum seekers who have entered Germany by train since the start of the month to 91,823, a police spokeswoman in Potsdam said. There is tremendous potential in India-Germany economic relationship.
The research, conducted by the German Initiative Markt-und Sozialforschung found strong regional differentiation in the results, with people in former East Germany being significantly less likely to describe the demographic change wrought by an influx of refugees “welcome”.
Modi and Merkel are participating in an event hosted by the National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) and the German Fraunhofer Institute on Digitising Tomorrow.
The row came as thousands of protesters vented their fury at Merkel over her welcoming of refugees, accusing her of “high treason” and “crimes against the German people”.
A few signs at the rally read: “Merkel guilty of ethnocide against her own people”, as well as “peace with Russian Federation, get out of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation”.
PEGIDA emerged about a year ago, with several hundred people initially showing up for the anti-migrant “Monday strolls” in Dresden. I know a few.
A joint statement by the two countries also underlined the commitment towards “protection of human rights and democratic values”, something which raised eyebrows but Indian government sources said these were only issues no two genuine democracies can disagree on. That is why I can’t understand this intolerance.
Merkel earlier told ARD that there is no practical way to place a limit on coming refugees.
Advertisement
Government officials believe German expertise and technology would help to India fight illegal migration and the smuggling of counterfeit currency from neighbouring countries, including Bangladesh.
