President hails citizenship law, warns against violent protests

President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday appealed to the people to debate and discuss issues to strengthen Indian democracy, but cautioned that acts of violence in the name of protests would only weaken the country and society.

Addressing the joint sitting of Parliament on the first day of the budget session, Kovind said the Union government was honestly working on its commitment to Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas.

“My government categorically believes that debate and discussion strengthen democracy, whereas acts of violence only weaken the country and society. Our Constitution, Parliament and all parliamentarians work for the development of the country, in the interest of the nation to meet the aspirations of the people and make necessary laws for the people,” said Kovind.

Highlighting the importance of peace and harmony, Kovind also lauded the people of India for accepting the Supreme Court verdict on the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya without prejudice.

The President also made a reference to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, or CAA, saying that its passage has led to realizing Mahatma Gandhi’s wish. “In the situation created after Partition, the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, had said that ‘Hindus and Sikhs of Pakistan, who do not want to live there, can come to India. It is the duty of the government of India to provide them a normal life’,”

“I am happy that the wish of Mahatma Gandhi has been fulfilled by bringing in the Citizenship (Amendment) Act by both the Houses of Parliament,” he added.

However, his comments led to sloganeering from the Opposition.

Earlier in the day, several Congress members led by party chief Sonia Gandhi staged a protest near the Gandhi Statue in Parliament premises over CAA, the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register.

To register their protest, Congress lawmakers sat in one block in the Central Hall wearing black bands, after leaders of other Opposition parties gave up their designated seats. On 27 November, several Opposition parties, had boycotted the joint sitting, alleging that the Union government had undermined democracy.

On Friday, Kovind said the Centre had taken several steps for the upliftment of the financially weaker sections by providing 80 million cooking gas connections, and housing to 20 million poor, besides opening bank accounts for 380 million people and health insurance benefits of up to ₹5 lakh a year to 500 million. That apart, he said 240 million have availed of the government’s insurance scheme, while 25 million people were provided with free electricity connections.

“These steps have been taken by the Union government transparently and without differentiating between people. Even today there are about 150 million houses in rural areas, where there is no supply of piped water. To ensure that sufficient drinking water reaches every household in the villages, my government has started the Jal Jeevan Mission,” Kovind said.

The President added that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government’s priority is speedy development of Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh, protecting the region’s cultures and traditions, through a transparent and honest administration, and by empowering democracy. He said that during President’s rule and, subsequently, as it came under central rule, developmental work in J&K and Ladakh has gained traction.

President Kovind also upheld the Centre’s North-East outreach initiative. Highlighting the signing of the tripartite agreement between the Centre, the Assam government and factions of the banned National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), Kovind said that a five-decade-old fractious situation has now been put to an end.

The agreement with NDFB, which ensures permanent settlement of 30,000 Bru tribal refugees in Tripura, also marks the beginning of the Centre’s push for infrastructure and economic development in the region, the President added.

Meanwhile, on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the budget session will focus on economic development of the country, and the Union government was ready to discuss and debate all issues with the Opposition.

“We all should make sure that in this session, we lay a strong foundation for this decade. This session will be focussed mainly on economic issues. I want good debates on these issues in both houses,” Modi said before the start of President’s address.

gyan.v@livemint.com

Shaswati Das contributed to this story.