Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri: PM Modi is boss, believe his words on CAA

Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on January 6 that minorities in India need not be afraid of the Citizenship Amendment Act. Speaking about the current tensed situation of the country, he said that the numerous protests were fuelled by “fearmongering”.

The union minister stressed that the new citizenship law should not be linked to the National Register of Citizens. He reminded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself has ruled out any plan to implement a nation-wide NRC, therefore there is nothing to worry about.

Puri added: “In fact, instead of stripping any Indian of citizenship, the CAA aims to help persecuted religious minorities from the neighbouring countries. A false narrative is being created on something like the Citizenship Amendment Act.”

According to an NDTV report, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader also junked allegations that the citizenship law will spell doom from Indian Muslims once the NRC is implemented.

“The most important thing to remember about the CAA is that it does not take away anyone’s rights. People have grown suspicious of the law by linking it with NRC. However, PM Modi is the boss and he has assured that there have been no talks on a nationwide NRC.”

Notably, ever since the Citizenship Amendment Bill was cleared by both Houses of Parliament last month, critics have argued that it is in violation of the secular tenets of the Constitution since it grants citizenship on the basis of religion.

Talking about the attacks on students inside Jawaharlal Nehru University campus on January 5, he said there is ambiguity over what unfolded as he has “seen the JNUSU president lead a mob”. He also said it is wrong to criticise the Delhi Police, who was in the throes of a dilemma.

Puri said: “The police are caught in a very interesting situation. If they go inside a campus (Jamia Milia) and there is violence, you blame them. This time you are criticising them for not entering.”