Modi defends CAA, NRC at mega rally

Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday sought to reassure India’s Muslims as a wave of deadly protests against a new citizenship law put his Hindu nationalist government under pressure like never before.

At least 25 people, a majority of them in the most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, have died and hundreds injured in 10 days of demonstrations and violence after Modi’s government passed the law criticised as anti-Muslim. More protests took place yesterday.

Addressing party supporters in New Delhi -- who cried “Modi! Modi!” at the mention of the law -- the 69-year-old said Muslims “don’t need to worry at all” -- provided they are genuine Indians.

“Muslims who are sons of the soil and whose ancestors are the children of mother India need not to worry” about the law and his plans to carry out a national register of citizens (NRC), Modi told the crowd of thousands.

Accusing the main opposition Congress party of condoning the recent violence by not condemning it, Modi said opponents were “spreading rumours that all Muslims will be sent to detention camps.”

“There are no detention centres. All these stories about detention centres are lies, lies and lies,” he said.

He ruled out going back on the citizenship law issue and asserted the law does not have anything to do with Muslims who are Indian citizens nor does it snatch away anyone’s citizenship.

“The Citizenship Amendment Act is not for Indian citizens. This has been said in parliament (last week). The Act is not aimed at snatching anybody’s citizenship but at giving citizenship,” he said and urged the agitators not to resort to violence in the interests of the country.

“No new refugee (from the three countries) will benefit from CAA,” he said referring to the law which seeks to give Indian citizenship to those who have come to India from the three neighbouring countries till 2014.

Modi said the opposition parties were not able to reconcile with his growing acceptance in the Islamic world some of which like the UAE conferred their highest civilian honour on him and India’s strong ties with the Islamic countries like Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Iran, the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar.

He said relations between India and Bangladesh have acquired “unprecedented depth” in recent years in areas of water and rail connectivity, and the two countries have been able to solve some of the problems like land boundary demarcation that were pending for over four decades.

“We are marching forward shoulder to shoulder with Bangladesh,” he said.

“The Congress and its allies cannot digest the Islamic countries love and goodwill for him and India because they fear that if Modi and India are loved by these countries, how will Indian Muslims continue to love them?” the PM said.

He accused the Congress, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and CPI(M) of “hypocrisy” in opposing CAA when their own leaders had in the past stated in parliament that they wanted “persecuted” Hindus from Bangladesh and Pakistan to get Indian citizenship, reports our New Delhi correspondent.        

Urging the youth of the country to “read the Citizenship Act in detail and not to fall prey to rumours,” Modi further said: “it is shocking to see the kind of lies that are being spread. Some people are even saying that the CAB is against the poor people of the country.”

In the backdrop of declaration by chief ministers of states like West Bengal, Kerala, Punjab and Chhattisgarh on not implementing CAA, Modi said no state can block its implementation.

The Congress yesterday rejected the PM’s charge that the opposition was “inciting” people, and alleged that an environment of fear and uncertainty has been created by home minister Amit Shah’s statement in Parliament that the NRC will be implemented after CAA.

FRESH PROTESTS

Fresh demonstrations were planned in New Delhi for yesterday, and northern state of Uttar Pradesh, where the largest number of deaths have occurred.

Tens of thousands of protests gathered late Saturday in the southern city of Hyderabad, while other protests were held elsewhere.

Authorities have imposed emergency laws, blocked internet access -- a common tactic in India -- and shut down shops in sensitive areas across the country in an attempt to contain the unrest.

More than 7,500 people have either been detained under emergency laws or arrested for rioting, according to state officials, with 5,000 in Uttar Pradesh state alone.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot yesterday led a massive peaceful march against the citizenship law and demanded that the centre repeal the act, saying it is against the constitution and an attempt to divide people in the name of religion.

Thousands of supporters of Jamiat-e-Ulama, an Islamic organisation, took out a protest march in Kolkata, West Bengal yesterday.

Meanwhile, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the cost of damage to properties during the anti-citizenship act protests would be “avenged” with fines collected from those responsible, reports Times of India online.

The administration in several districts of the state started proceedings on Saturday by identifying and sealing properties of the “rioters”.

One more person died in Rampur in a fresh spate of violence on Saturday. Another person succumbed to his injuries late on Saturday that he received during recent Kanpur clashes. So far, 18 people have lost lives during state-wide protests since Thursday.