PM Modi on CAA: Nehru was in favour of protecting Pak minorities, did he want a Hindu Rashtra?

Taking on the Opposition over the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) amid the ongoing protests across cities, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday accused the Congress and the Left of inciting people at protest sites and stressed that the Act will not impact any Indian citizen, including Muslims.

Reiterating that the Act is not against the interests of minorities in the country, PM Modi, in his reply to a debate on Motion of Thanks to the

President's Address in Lok Sabha, said: "For them (opposition), they are Muslims. For us, they are all Indians. The Act does not affect any Indian."

"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 added.

In a speech that lasted for over 90 minutes, PM Modi said India's first prime minister Pandit Jawaharlala Nehru was in favour of protecting minorities in Pakistan. "Pandit Nehru himself was in favour of protecting minorities in Pakistan, I want to ask Congress, was Pandit Nehru communal? Did he want a Hindu Rashtra?" he said.

Ironically, PM Modi said, much has been said about Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) by those who "love getting photographed with the group of people who want 'Tukde Tukde' of India."

Referring to calls of "save the constitution", PM Modi reminded the Congress of Emergency

"There has been talk of 'save constitution'. I agree, Congress should say this 100 times in a day. Maybe they will realize their past mistakes. Did you forget this slogan during emergency? When state Governments were dismissed? When cabinet resolutions were torn?"

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.

(Inputs from The Indian Express)