Citizenship Amendment Act is not a law to take away citizenship, it is a law to grant citizenship: PM

New Delhi: Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi visited Belur Math in Kolkata today, on the occasion of Swami Vivekananda Jayanti and National Youth Day. He also interacted with the monks in Math.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said that for the countrymen, coming to this holy land of Belur Math is no less than a pilgrimage, but for him it was always like coming home. Feeling privileged for spending the night in this holy place, he said that the identity of all the gurus including Swami Ram Krishna Paramahamsa, Maa Sarada Devi, Swami Brahmanand and Swami Vivekananda could be felt here.

Recalling his previous visit, when he had taken the blessings of Swami Atmasthanandaji, the Prime Minister said that he was shown the way of public service by the Swami.

“Today he is not physically present, but his work, his path, will always pave the way for us.”

He said that he got a chance to spend a few moments between the young brahmacharis present there and found that he had the state of mind of the brahmacharis once. He added that most of us are drawn here because of the thoughts of Vivekananda, the voice of Vivekananda, the personality of Vivekananda. But after coming to this land, Mother Anna Sharda Devi’s Anchal gives us a mother’s love to settle down.

“Knowingly or unknowingly, every youth of the country, are part of the Vivekananda’s resolve. The times have changed, the decades have changed, the century has changed, but Swamiji’s resolve was to inspire and awaken the youth. This effort of his would continue to inspire the generations to come.”

To the youth of the country, who think that they can’t change the world by doing it alone, the Prime Minister gave a simple mantra, “we are never alone”.

For the 21st century, the country has taken steps to build a new India with great resolve and these resolutions are not just of the government, but also of the 130 crore countrymen, the youth of the country, he added.

The Prime Minister said that the experience of the last 5 years shows that the campaign to connect with the youth of the country is sure to succeed. He said that till 5 years ago, there was a disappointment whether India can be clean or not, and can the spread of digital payment in India could be increased so much. But the youth of the country took command and the change is visible, he added.

He said that passion and energy in youth is the basis for changing India in this decade of the 21st century. Youth confronts the problem, solves it and challenges the challenge itself. Following this thinking, the central government is also trying to solve the decades-old challenges facing the country, he added.

On National Youth Day, PM felt that it is his responsibility to convince every youth, satisfy them about the Citizenship Amendment Act and clear the confusion in their minds. He clarified that the Citizenship Amendment Act is not a law to take away citizenship, it is a law to grant citizenship. Citizenship Amendment Act is just an amendment, to ease granting citizenship of India, for those who were tortured, oppressed, due to their religious faith in post-partition Pakistan. Many leaders including Mahatma Gandhi also endorsed this then. Apart from this, even today, a person of any religion, whether or not he believes in God… whoever believes in the Constitution of India, can take citizenship of India under the prescribed procedures. He said that his Government has also made provisions for the adverse effect on the demography of the North East due to the Act. Despite such clarity, some people are constantly spreading confusion about Citizenship Amendment Act for their political reasons. He said that if not for the controversy sparked by this amendment in the citizenship law, the world would not even know what crimes have been committed on minorities in Pakistan. How human rights have been violated. This is a result of our initiative that now Pakistan will have to answer why in 70 years you have committed this crime with a minority there.

The Prime Minister said that our culture and our constitution expect us to fulfill our duties as citizens, our obligations with honesty and full dedication. The duty of every Indian should be equally important. And following this path, we will be able to see India in its natural place on the world stage. This was the expectation of Swami Vivekananda from every Indian and this is also at the core of this institution. And all of us are also taking a resolve to make his dreams come true, he concluded.