Mumbai, April 7 (IANS): The Shiv Sena Monday said the US was "scared" at the prospect of BJP leader Narendra Modi becoming India's next prime minister.

An editorial in Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana said the US recently expressed concern that if a Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party government attains power in India, "the minorities, Muslims" would be crushed.

The editorial, a rare one commenting on international political issues, hit out at the US, saying that India was a sovereign democratic republic.

"Who has given the US the right to speak about its election and internal matters? The US has no business commenting on the country's internal matters, we are capable of handling them."

Calling the US "a self-proclaimed global policeman", Saamana cited reports saying America has appointed an international human rights protection panel to keep a watch on India's political developments and was attempting "to instil fear" in the minds of Indian Muslims.

"Let the US first examine its own backyard and see how Muslims in its country have been harassed after the 9/11 terror attack. The Muslims in the US are under the scanner of intelligence agencies and all kinds of restrictions have been imposed on them," the editorial said.

It said prominent personalities bearing Muslim names are detained and harassed for hours at US airports. Even Indian superstar Shah Rukh Khan and a minister, Azam Khan, were not spared this humiliation.

"Is not the treatment meted out to Muslims at US airports also violative of human rights and an attack on their religious freedom? In such circumstances, the US should not claim responsibility to speak only about the rights of Indian Muslims," it said.

The editorial alleged that the US attacked Afghanistan and Iraq and butchered Muslims there, but it was least concerned about the rights of minorities then.

Saamana said that in reality, the US was deeply worried that if Modi comes to power in India, "then the (Indian) cat will become a tiger" which will not listen to the "global policeman" (US).

Worse, under the guise of expressing concern for Indian Muslims, the US was apprehensive about what will happen to its present role in the entire Southeast Asia.

"This is why it is trying to create a fear psychosis about Modi. But, we Indians must welcome this and be happy that the US is getting scared of India. Modi will change the image of a docile Indian cat" something that the US does not seem to relish, it concluded.