President Kovind terms CAA ‘historic’, opposition members protest

Ravi S. Singh
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, January 31

President Ram Nath Kovind, in his address to a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament on the inaugural day of Budget Session on Friday, outlined the government’s achievements, which included the enactment of “progressive” laws like the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35(A) in Jammu and Kashmir.

He underlined “nation first” as a guiding principle for any leader owing allegiance to political parties or ideology. Debates and discussions strengthen democracy, but any kind of violence in the name of protest weakens the society and the country, he said.

People’s popular mandate is a sacrosanct and the present government has received it to achieve the goal of “New India”—a transformation of the country on modernistic lines, he said.

Amidst slogans by opposition parties, Kovind said that the government has enacted an affirmative law, the CAA, in tune with the wishes of Mahatma Gandhi who had said that Hindus and Sikhs who do not wish to live in Pakistan could come to India.

Condemning the religious persecution of minorities in Pakistan, he urged the global community to take note of this anomaly.

Ensuring normal lives for minorities who take refuge in India is the government’s responsibility.

Steps have been taken to ensure that the native culture of north-eastern states is not affected due to the implementation of CAA, he said.

Some opposition members shouted “shame, shame” slogans and also displayed banners during his comments on CAA.

The President said that doing away with Article 370 and 35 (A) has paved the way for the speedy development of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Marginalised sections, including Dalits avail rights which were earlier denied to them.

In his speech, Kovind said elections were held for about 4,400 village panchayats peacefully Jammu and Kashmir. Elections were held for about 300 Block Development Councils for the first time after Independence.

About 24,000 houses were constructed under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in Jammu and Kashmir.

Also read: Protests will intensify: Cong on President’s hardline on CAA

Kovind reinforced that the government is commitment to catapult India into a five trillion dollar economy.

“The Foreign Exchange Reserves is on the increase and is pegged at 450 billion dollars. The flow of FDI is on accent trajectory.

Country’s economic fundamentals are robust in the midst of a global slowdown,” he said.

Government has set a high priority on technology and digitization as an instrument in governance to promote transparency and delivery system. He referred to direct transfer benefit (DTB) scheme through which more than Rs 1,70,000,  which used to be lost in leakages or were directed to wrong hands, have been saved.

Government’s interventions with regard women and youth empowerment, strengthening of country Defense and security, fight against terrorism which has shown positive results in Jammu and Kashmir, promotion of locally made products, industrialization, education rural development, boosting connectivity of road and waterways, and beefing up infrastructure in north-eastern states were also highlighted.