Adnan Sami has always respected India: Govt

After granting Indian citizenship to Adnan Sami, the government on Friday praised the Pakistan-born singer saying he had always been 'respectful' towards India.

"Adnan Sami has regularly worked for last 15 years and we haven't found any controversy after going through his records. He has always respected India. We have seen his background including his tweets, and we can say that he has utmost regards for the country," Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju told ANI.

"There is a special provision under the citizenship act of India. The citizenship has been granted to him (Sami) under Section 6 (I) of the Indian Citizenship Act," he added.

Rijiju also said that when Sami went to the Pakistan embassy to surrender his passport, he had expressed his desire to become an Indian citizen.

"We took this decision under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and as a result of this we granted him the citizenship," he added.

When asked to respond on the allegations of the Shiv Sena, Rijiju said that he doesn't want to comment on individual matters.

"We have been getting good response from people all over the country," he added.

Earlier on Friday, Shiv Sena slammed the BJP for granting Indian citizenship to Pakistan-born singer Adnan Sami saying the move shows their 'double standards' on the issue.