NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a rally at the Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi asserted that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the NRC have nothing to do with Indian Muslims as he sought to assuage their concerns amid widespread protests on Sunday. Here’s the full text of what the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister said that in the recently-concluded Parliament session, not only the Bill related to the colonies in Delhi but the second important Bill, the Citizenship Amendment Bill, has been passed, but after the passing of this Bill some political parties started spreading various rumours. I want to know from them:
When we did legitimised hundreds of illegal colonies in Delhi, did we ask anyone what is your religion or whom do you have faith in or which party do you support? — No.
When we gave free gas connections to more than eight crore families under the Ujjwala Yojana, did we ask for their religion or caste? — No.
In the last five years, our government has given houses to more than 15 million poor people. We did not ask anyone their religion.
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The world’s largest health assurance scheme ‘Ayushman Bharat’ is running in India today. This scheme has ensured that more than 50 crore poor people get free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh. Due to their political interest, Delhi government did not implement Ayushman Bharat Yojana in Delhi. Those states where this scheme has been implemented, about 70 lakh patients have received free treatment at hospitals. Among its beneficiaries are Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians. Didwe see religion in it? — No.
I want to know from the Congress, its allies and the parties which play divisive politics, that when we have not discriminated against anyone in the country under any scheme, then why such false allegations and why this conspiracy to discredit India worldwide? These people have not only tried to push Delhi but also many other cities in the country into chaos. They make statements to incite violence and hatred, but do not speak anything to establish peace. If they do not take the initiative to establish peace, it means that they are silently supporting violence.
The PM said that last week the people have seen how some opposition parties, including Delhi’s ruling party, can go to any extent for their selfishness and politics. “You must have seen and heard the statements that were made, the way people were instigated and provoked. These people have conspired and tried to push not only Delhi but many other cities into chaos and fear. There have been attacks on children’s school and passenger buses and trains, people’s vehicles have been burnt, government property damaged and their politics tells the truth. I want to tell such people that if you want to hit stones then hit it on Modi, if you want to burn then burn the effigy of Modi, but at least don’t harm any poor person’s property.”
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“What will you get by beating up poor auto and bus drivers? What will you get by injuring the policemen at whom you are throwing stones? Do not forget that more than 33 thousand policemen in the country have sacrificed for your peace and for your safety. When a crisis comes or there is a problem, then these policemen do not ask what your religion is.”
“Recently, the fire that took place in Delhi, killed many people. At that time did the police ask which is the religion of the? Then why are such lies being spread?”
He stressed that there is a need to identify those who sell lies and spread rumours. “These are two types of people. One those, whose politics is based on the vote bank for decades. Others those, who have benefited from this politics. These people used to think that the government itself is there, the country runs at their behest and the history that they tell will be accepted as truth.”
Modi said that those who do vote bank politics and consider themselves to be the fate of India after being rejected by the people of this country have taken up their old objective of divide and rule.
The Citizenship Amendment Act is not for any citizen of India, whether Hindu or Muslim.
“The NRC, which has not come yet, for which the rules and regulations have not been decided yet, is being made an issue. The Congress and its workers are spreading rumours and some people have started following them. Its workers, educated Naxalites and urban Naxals living in cities, are spreading rumours that all Muslims will be sent to detention centres. I am surprised that this rumour has created panic among even the well-educated people. First read once, what is the Citizenship Amendment Act and NRC.”
“Those still in confusion, I will tell them that do not believe in these rumour of detention centres being raised by the Congress and urban Naxalites. Both the Citizenship Law and the NRC will not have any effect on the Muslims of this country, whose ancestors were from India. No one is going to send the Muslims of the country to the detention centres. The rumour of sending them to detention centres is a lie. I am surprised, to what extent these people can go on lying.”
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While answering the opposition’s “lie on the Citizenship Amendment Act”, the Prime Minister said that some people are trying to show that the Citizenship Amendment Act is against the poor. They are saying that those who come will take away the rights of the poor here, while this Act will only apply to those who have been living in India for years. No new refugee will get the benefit of this law. Those who are telling such lies should also check the condition of people who came from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh due to religious persecution.
“These are the people, mostly Dalits, who were kept as bonded laborers in Pakistan. Even today they are discriminated against in Pakistan. The atrocities with daughters there, they are forced to convert by forcibly marrying them is continuously highlighted by the media. This happens only because their faith is different, their method of worship is different.”
Due to similar exploitation in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, they have come to India and have been living in different parts of the country among us for years. Modi said that the minorities of our three neighbouring countries, who moved to India for shelter due to atrocities, have been given some privilege in this Act.
“These privileges are according to the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi, who said that whenever Hindu and Sikh companions living in Pakistan feel that they should come to India, they are welcome. This privilege is in accordance with the promise of the then Indian government, which was made 70 years ago when crores of Indians became minority during partition.”
“Today, when the NDA government, led by Bharatiya Janata Party, is fulfilling the same decades-old promise, it is being opposed. Now, they are saying that give privilege to all the citizens of Pakistan. These political parties no longer want to distinguish between illegal infiltrators and persecuted refugees due to their faith. In which country in the world do such things happen?” Modi said.
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“It was Manmohan Singh who stood up in Parliament and said that we should give citizenship to those people from Bangladesh who are being oppressed due to their faith, who are moving from there to India. There was a time when former chief minister of Assam, veteran Congress leader Tarun Gogoi ji also used to write letters. In Assam, the resolution was passed that people who are being tortured in Bangladesh, who are coming here they may be helped. There was a time when Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot also had sympathy for such refugees. They used to demand that the situation of the Hindus and Sikhs, who came here from Pakistan should be improved, but now everything has changed.
Continuing the attack on the opposition, the PM said that today Mamata didi has reached the United Nations directly from Kolkata, but a few years ago, Mamata didi was standing in Parliament, pleading that the infiltrators from Bangladesh be stopped, only persecuted refugees be helped.
Today, the Left parties, whom the people of India have rejected, which is now at an end, its veteran leader Prakash Karat also spoke about helping those coming from Bangladesh because of religious persecution. Today, when the political parties of these people are refusing to give citizenship to the refugees who came to India due to religious persecution, their real face is also coming before the people of the country. The truth is that these people are doing only bank politics. For their vote banks, these political parties are constantly provoking people and spreading rumours.