PM Modi quoted from a 1947 resolution of the Congress and statements by its top leaders including two prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Lal Bahadur Shastri to make the point that they wanted religious minorities in Pakistan to be given citizenship.
In his fierce defence of the amended citizenship law in Parliament on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi quoted from a 1947 resolution of the Congress and statements by its top leaders including two prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Lal Bahadur Shastri to make the point that they wanted religious minorities in Pakistan to be given citizenship.
PM Modi’s argument was that this stand contrasted sharply with the one taken by the Congress after his government brought a law designed to give citizenship to minorities from Pakistan and accused the Congress of duplicity.
But as soon as PM Modi finished his 80-minute speech in the Rajya Sabha, Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad sprang to his feet. Azad told the House that he wanted to thank the prime minister.
There were many surprised faces.
PM Modi had just delivered a scathing attack on the opposition for its criticism of the citizenship law, blaming the Congress for spreading lies about the law that was only designed to give citizenship to persecuted religious minorities from Pakistan and two other countries in the neighbourhood, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
Azad explained.
“I want to thank the prime minister on behalf of my party that he spoke of Congress’ secularism, not from today but from 1947… and about our sensitivity towards our Hindu brothers in Pakistan,” Azad said.
“I thank the prime minister that he also spoke about (Lal Bahadur) Shashtri ji. But I also want to say, not just on behalf of our party but the other opposition parties as well. That we are not against granting citizenship to our Hindu brothers from Pakistan, Bangladesh or Afghanistan. We are in favour, in favour. This has been our policy since 1947 as prime minister Modi said. It has always been the case,” Ghulam Nabi Azad said.
Azad said the opposition’s what the opposition was
“Our only opposition was that Nepal, hindus from Sri Lanka and Bhutan should also have been covered by this law… And how can the government make a law according to religion,” the veteran Congress leader said, calling the BJP pitch accusing the opposition of being against helping Hindus in Pakistan a “false campaign” and propaganda.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, during his speech, read out from the Congress Working Committee resolution of 25 November 1947.
“It says: Congress is further bound to afford full protection to all those non-Muslims from Pakistan who have crossed the border and come to India or may do so to save their life and honour,” PM Modi had said, asking the opposition to “desist from the tendency to misguide and misinform the country”.
Prasanta Patnaik