Congress, Urban Naxals Spreading Rumours Over CAA And NRC: PM Modi Urges People To Read The Act

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (22 December) lambasted at the Congress-led opposition, accusing them of spreading lies regarding the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019 and the proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC), The Times of India reported.

Taking a dig at the Congress, he asked whether the party was sleeping back when the NRC provisions were made during its tenures.

“There are lies being spread about NRC, they (opposition) are blowing it out of proportion. It was made during the times of Congress, was everyone sleeping then? We did not make it, neither did it arrive in the Parliament or the Cabinet, neither has any rule or regulation to decide it been framed,” PM Modi said at New Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan.

The Prime Minister also alleged that the Congress and “its friends urban naxals” were spreading rumours about the fresh amendments to the Citizenship Act.

“Congress and its friends, some urban Naxals are spreading rumours that all Muslims will be sent to detention centres... Respect your education, read what the Citizenship Amendment Act and NRC are. You are educated,” PM Modi lashed out at his party's mega rally.

He went on to say that Indian Muslims had nothing to worry with regards to the CAA. “The Muslims of the Indian soil, whose forefathers are the sons of India, have nothing to be bothered about by either the NRC or the CAA. Neither is there any detention centre in India nor will any Indian Muslim be sent to it,” added the Prime Minister.

In an attempt to touch the emotional nerve of the crowd, he said that his government had just brought in a law to grant ownership of homes to people “irrespective of their religion”. “Will, we (BJP) make one law to grant homes to the people irrespective of their religion and then drive them out? Have they gone mad?” he asked. The PM was referring to the decision of granting ownership rights to 40 lakh people living in unauthorised colonies in the capital city.

"After I came to power in 2014, the government has held no discussions over NRC. We did carry out the NRC exercise in Assam, but it was at the orders of the Supreme Court," Modi clarified.