Fight Pak's attack on minorities, not CAA: PM Modi

In his most direct attack on the Congress and its allies, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday dared the detractors of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act to protest “Pakistan’s atrocities on minorities for the past 70 years” instead of rising against Parliament.

Modi was addressing a gathering at the Siddaganga Mutt after laying the foundation stone for a museum dedicated to Shivakumara Swami, the late pontiff.

“Those protesting against the Parliament of India, I want to tell them that they need to expose Pakistan’s deeds at the global level,” Modi said. “You should have that guts...to protest and raise your voice against Pakistan’s deeds for the past 70 years. If you want to shout slogans, shout against atrocities against minorities there. If you want to rally, do it in favour of Dalits and the downtrodden who have come from Pakistan. If you want to do dharna, do it against Pakistan’s deeds,” he said.

It was some weeks ago Parliament passed CAA, Modi pointed out. “But the Congress, its allies and the ecosystem they’ve created are standing up against Parliament,” Modi said. “The hate they have for us (BJP) is the same voice being heard against India’s Parliament of late. These people have begun protesting the country’s Parliament. They are protesting against Dalits, the oppressed and the downtrodden who have come from Pakistan seeking refuge,” he said.

The Congress and its allies “don’t speak against Pakistan, but are instead holding protests against those who took refuge in India to save their life, religion and the pride of their sisters and daughters,” the PM charged. “They don’t have time to speak against Pakistan over atrocities against minorities. Why is their mouth locked up?”

Protecting the refugees is “our cultural and national responsibility”, the PM said. “Most of the Hindus who have come are Dalits and downtrodden, we cannot abandon them,” he said, adding, “We should also help Sikh, Jains and Christians who’ve come from Pakistan.”

Pakistan was born on the basis of religion, Modi said, while accusing the neighbour of persecuting its religious minorities. “Whether it is Hindu, Sikh, Christian or Jain, atrocities against them have increased in Pakistan. Thousands of such people had to flee and come to India seeking refuge,” he said.

The abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir signalled the change in India’s policy against terrorism, Modi said. “By abrogating Article 370, an effort has been made to remove the fear of terror and uncertainty from the life of people there. A new beginning of development has been ushered in for Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh,” he said.

The road was also cleared for the construction of a grand temple for Lord Ram at his birthplace (Ayodhya) “with peace and everybody’s cooperation”, Modi said.