Bhognadih, Jharkhand: In a desperate bid to defend the newly passed Citizenship (Amendment) Act, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday dared the main opposition party to publicly declare it is prepared to accord Indian citizenship to all Pakistanis.
The prime minister also accused the Congress of spreading lies over the new citizenship law.
Amid a wave of violent protests in several parts of the country over the act, Modi sought to assuage concerns of Indians apprehensive about getting stripped of their citizenship.
"The Congress is spreading lies, creating an atmosphere of fear for Muslims over the new law. Citizenship (Amendment) Act neither takes away the rights of Indian citizens nor harms them in any manner," he told an election rally here.
He said the law was enacted for religious minorities of three nations--Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan--who fled their countries because of religious persecution.
"It's for people who have fled three countries due to atrocities on account of their religious faith. It's for those who are living in miserable conditions and cannot go back," he said.
Modi said he wanted to know how the new citizenship law had encroached upon the rights of Indian Muslims, or for that matter, any citizen of the country.
"I dare the Congress, its friends to publicly declare they are prepared to accord Indian citizenship to all Pakistanis," he said.
In an earlier rally in Jharkhand, the prime minister had said that the Congress and its allies were making a storm and spreading fire while adding that the protesters may be 'identified by their clothes.'
'Urban Naxals trying to instigate students'
Nnarendra Modi also appealed to college and university students, who had been protesting over the amended Act, to bring forth issues for discussion with the government in a "democratic manner".
He alleged that "urban naxals" were trying to instigate youth in the country to foment trouble.
The prime minister also said that people of Jharkhand have voted fearlessly in the first four phases of Assembly elections.
He claimed that when lotus bloomed, tribals, women and youth across the country were benefited.
"Your blessings on the BJP are giving sleepless nights to the Congress, JMM, RJD and the Left parties," he told people attending the rally.
(With inputs from PTI.)
