President calls CAA historic, draws Opposition protests
Tribune News Service & PTI
New Delhi, January 31
Hailing the new citizenship law as “historic” and a fulfilment of Mahatma Gandhi’s wish, President Ram Nath Kovind today deprecated violence in the name of protests, saying it weakened the society and nation, remarks that came amid protests against the contentious law.
The President’s glowing reference to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in his address to a joint sitting of Parliament drew protests from Opposition members, many of whom wore black bands, with some shouting “shame shame”, while BJP MPs thumped benches in support. The President said the government enacted the CAA in tune with the wishes of Mahatma Gandhi who had said that Hindus and Sikhs who did not wish to live in Pakistan could come to India.
Delivering his 70-minute address in Hindi which marks the start of the Parliament’s Budget session, Kovind pointed out that mutual discussions and debates strengthen democracy. “Any kind of violence in the name of protests weakens the society and the nation,” he said. Condemning the religious persecution of minorities in Pakistan, he urged upon the global community to take a note of it.
He said doing away with Articles 370 and 35(A) had paved the way for speedy development of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Elections were held for about 4,400 panchayats and 300 Block Development Councils, while 24,000 houses were constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in Jammu and Kashmir, he said.
He said the government would celebrate the 400th birth anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur globally. The Kartarpur Corridor was made functional in a record time, he added.
