'If you have to agitate, raise your voice against Pakistan': PM Modi to anti-CAA protesters

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday  asked those protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act to instead "raise voice against Pakistan's actions of last 70 years."

Speaking in Karnataka's Tumakuru, Modi said, "Pakistan was formed on the basis of religion, religious minorities were being persecuted there. The persecuted were forced to come to India as refugees. But Congress and its allies don't speak against Pakistan, instead, they are taking out rallies against these refugees."

"Those who are agitating against the Parliament of India today, I want to say that today need is to expose activities of Pakistan at the international level.If you have to agitate, raise your voice against Pakistan's actions of last 70 years," he added. 

His remarks come amid the nationwide protests against the new citizenship law and a proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC). The new law promises citizenship to "illegal immigrants" belonging to minority communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh who fled religious persecution in the three countries. 

Critics say that the new law is against the secular nature of the Indian Constitution and clubbed with the NRC may be misused to strip away some Muslims' citizenship in the country. The BJP, however, has argued that the law has nothing to do with India's Muslims and only helps those who fled religious persecution in the neighbouring countries.

Some of the protests, most of them in Uttar Pradesh where 19 people have been killed, turned violent, following which the police launched a massive crackdown arresting hundreds of protesters across the state. 

Earlier last week, Modi urged people who damaged public property to introspect if what they did was right.  

Speaking during the foundation-laying ceremony of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical University in Lucknow, the Prime Minister said, "I want to ask people who resorted to violence in Uttar Pradesh to sit at home and ask introspect if what they did was right. They destroyed buses and public property that belongs to their children." 

Highlighting that several cops were injured during violent, the Prime Minister said, "Secure atmosphere is our right, but it is also the duty of citizens to respect work of the police."