Picture : Twitter / ANI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Congress and the Left of inciting people at protest sites while making it clear that the Act will neither impact any Indian citizen nor harm minority interests.
Replying to a debate on Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address in Lok Sabha, Modi also attacked the Congress for its politics in the last seven decades, saying the party’s politics of last 70 years has been such that no Congress leader can be self-sufficient.
“I want to clearly state that with the CAA coming, there will be no impact on any citizen of India, practising any faith. CAA does not affect any Indian, it doesn’t harm minority interests,” he said in his more than 90-minute long reply.
The motion was later passed by the voice vote.
The prime minister said much has been said about the CAA, ironically by those who love getting photographed with the group of people who want ‘Tukde Tukde of India.
“Those who have been removed from office by the people of India are now doing the unthinkable. They see citizens on the basis of their faith. We are different. We see everyone as an Indian,” he said.
Attacking the Congress, Modi said a person who was associated with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots was made as chief minister.
“Does a party that keeps talking about secularism not remember 1984 and the anti-Sikh violence. It was shameful. In addition, they did not make efforts to punish the guilty,” he said.
Defending the CAA, the prime minister said the Congress is having problems when “our government is taking decisions on wishes of the country’s founding fathers”.
Slamming former Jammu and Kashmir chief ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah for their remarks on abrogation of Article 370, Modi said Kashmir’s identity was buried on January 19, 1990, when Kashmiri Pandits started leaving the Valley due to militancy.
“Who made Kashmir only about land grabbing? Who made Kashmir’s identity only about bombs and guns? Can anyone forget that dark night of January? In reality, Kashmiri identity is closely linked with harmony,” he said.
Elaborating on his government’s achievements, the prime minister said the people of the country have seen his government’s work between 2014 and 2019 and gave a bigger mandate in 2019.
“The people of India saw our work for five years. They once again blessed us, so that we work even faster,” he said.
Modi said India can no longer wait for problems to remain unsolved, and, rightfully so. “That is why, our aim is speed and scale, determination and decisiveness, sensitivity and solutions”.
