Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accused the Congress and its allies of raising a storm over citizenship law, asserting that the opposition parties were fuelling unrest and arson over the issue in several parts of the country.
Without mentioning any party or community, Modi said those ‘fanning the fire’ could be identified by their clothes. “People who are setting fire (to property) can be seen on TV... They can be identified by the clothes they are wearing,” he said during an election rally here. The prime minister claimed that opposition was providing tacit support to the violent protests that erupted in the Northeast and West Bengal over the amended Act.
Overseas protests
“The Congress and its allies are stoking fire over the Citizenship Act, but people of Northeast have rejected violence. Actions of the Congress prove that all decisions taken in Parliament are correct,” he said. Condemning the overseas protests by the grand old party, he said, “For the first time, the Congress did what Pakistanis has been doing for long.”
A large number of people had gathered outside the Indian High Commission in London on Saturday to protest against the amended Act and what they branded as Modi government’s “failures”. “You will be surprised at the events that had unfolded near the Indian Embassy in London after the verdict was announced on Ram Janmabhoomi and the abrogation of Article 370. People from Pakistan, those settled in London, had staged demonstrations outside our embassy,” he said.
“Did any Indian stage demonstration near the Embassy? If there is any issue, a person goes to the Embassy, meets the officials, who then send the documents to the central government,” Modi explained. Efforts were being made to tarnish the country’s image, the PM noted.
“The country is watching; people’s faith has been cemented in Modi after the Bill was cleared by Parliament. Their (Opposition) actions reflect that the decision to pass Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in Parliament is 1000 per cent correct,” the prime minister said.
Protests have been raging across the entire Northeast region and West Bengal over the amended Citizenship Act, as people fear that it might exacerbate the problem of illegal immigration. Muslims across the country have joined the agitation, apprehending that the move could be a precursor to country-wide implementation of National Register for Citizens.
Achievements
Listing the achievements of the BJP governments at the Centre and the state, the PM said, “I am your sevak (servant). I have come here to give an account of the development work done by our party in the state.” He claimed that leaders of the opposition parties have only built palaces for themselves without paying any attention to the problems faced by common people.
The Congress and the JMM have no roadmap or agenda for developing Jharkhand, Modi insisted. Referring to the sacrifice made by tribal freedom fighters for the country, he sought to know if the Britishers would have left India, had Birsa Munda, Sido-Kano, Chand- Bhairav and Phulo-Jano cared about personal gains.
“These great tribal martyrs rose above their personal interest to serve the society and the country,” Modi said, adding that the BJP has derived its culture from them. He thanked Vice President Venkaiah Naidu for encouraging MPs to use local languages, including Santhali, in Parliament, while also ensuring their English and Hindi translations were available on headphones.
“Santhal Pargana has a rich language and culture. The government will promote spiritual tourism in the Santhal Pargana, where many temples of Lord Shiva and other temples are situated. I thank vice president Venkaiah Naidu ji for arranging translation of Santhali language in Rajya Sabha,” Modi added.
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