Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (Maharashtra) [India], June 24 : All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his recent on religious minorities in the country during his maiden State visit to the United States.
To a specific question during a joint press briefing alongside US President Joe Biden, PM Modi denied discrimination against religious minorities in India.
However, Owasi, on Saturday, countered PM Modi's claim saying there were several instances of discrimination against minorities, including the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which was passed by the Centre.
"The Prime Minister of India took questions for the first time in 9 years and to a specific question, he claimed there was no discrimination against religious minorities in India. As many as 300 churches were burnt in Manipur. Isn't that discrimination? The CAA was formulated on the basis of discrimination. The BJP has 300 ministers of which there is not a single Muslim. You (BJP) ended the Maulana Azad fellowship. These are examples of discrimination. There is discrimination," Owaisi told reporters here.
Also invoking former US President Barack Obama's interview with CNN during PM Modi's first State to the US, the AIMIM chief said, "When our PM was in the US, former President Barack Obama, in an interview, said the targeting of religious minorities in India was not in the interest of a country, which has been practising democracy for so long. What does this imply?"
Taking a further jibe at PM Modi, Owaisi said, "PM Modi makes tall claims at press conferences abroad but backtracks on them back home in India?"
To a question on measures his government is willing to take to improve the rights of minorities in the country, PM Modi said, "Democracy is India's spirit, it runs in the veins of its people and they live democracy in their daily lives".
"We are a democracy and as President Biden said India and America both have democracy in our DNA. Democracy is in our spirit and we live it and it's written in our Constitution...So no question of discrimination on the grounds of caste, creed or religion arises," PM Modi said at the joint press conference with President Biden.
He added that his government functions in accordance with the Constitution, which was founded on democratic ideals and principles.
"Democracy is our spirit, it runs in our veins. We live in a democracy and the country's founding fathers gave it the shape of a Constitution. Our government works in accordance with the Constitution. We have proved that democracy can deliver," PM Modi said.
"When I say democracy can deliver, there is no scope of discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, religion, or gender. When we talk of democracy, if there are no human values, no humanity, and no human rights, then it is not democracy. And when you talk of democracy, accept democracy and when we live in a democracy, there is no scope for discrimination. We go by the principles of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayaas'. People, regardless of caste, creed and religion, have access to benefits provided by the government. There is no discrimination on the basis of religion, caste, age, geography," he added.
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