SP, Cong tried to cause riots by spreading lies about CAA: PM Modi in UP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday accused the opposition of spreading lies about the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and said that the law is here to stay.

"Do whatever you want to, but you will never be able to remove CAA," Modi said at a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh a day after the first set of citizenship certificates under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act was issued to 14 people.

"The work of giving citizenship under the CAA to refugees has already started. All these people are Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists. They have been living in the country for a long time as refugees and were victims of the partition of the country done on the basis of religion," he said.

Accusing the Congress of neglecting these refugees, the prime minister said, "The Congress and the SP tried to spread lies in the name of CAA. They tried to push Uttar Pradesh and the entire country towards riots," he alleged.

The prime minister added that although the people of the "INDI alliance" claim they will remove CAA, "no one can do it".

"You are a fraud... you forced the country to burn in the fire of communalism," he said, attacking the opposition without taking any name.

The prime minister also asserted that thousands of refugees will be granted citizenship under the law.

On Article 370, Modi said, "In the recent polling held in Kashmir, people voted and felt proud of participating in the festival of democracy. The excitement shown by people of Srinagar in polls is proof no one can bring back Article 370 and do vote bank politics."

"Earlier during the polls in Kashmir, there used to be protests, people used to fear for their lives and get threats from terrorists. But this time, previous polling records were broken in Srinagar," he said.

Earlier people used to think of Azamgarh every time a blast took place anywhere in the country.

The prime minister said Azamgarh's identity changed a decade ago. "Azamgarh's identity changed a decade ago," he said.

The previous SP government did nothing for Azamgarh, he said.

"Terrorists accused of explosions were pardoned. Sleeper cells were given the cover of politics. Due to this attitude, terrorism rose across the country. These people still have the same attitude," Modi said in an attack on the SP's 'shehzade', an apparent reference to Akhilesh Yadav.

SP and Congress are two parties but have one shop where they sell appeasement, lies, 'parivarvad' and corruption, he said.

"They have come with a triple dose of appeasement. They want to snatch the reservation granted to the SCs, STs and OBCs and give it to their vote bank. The INDI alliance wants to take half your property and give it to its vote bank. They want to divide the budget of the country and allot 15 per cent of it for the minority," Modi said.

"We got the Ram temple after a wait of 500 years. The entire country is happy, every Indian living across the world is happy but these 'parivarvadis' are hurling abuses. The shehzade of SP and his uncle call the Ram temple useless," he said.

The prime minister also praised Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for improving the law-and-order situation in the state.

"You saw 'goonda raj' under SP rule. UP has come out of these dangers now. Yogi Adityanath has run my cleanliness campaign successfully in UP by acting against mafia, rioters and extortionists," he said.

Along with Adityanath, the BJP's Lalganj Lok Sabha seat candidate Neelam Sonkar and Azamgarh candidate Dinesh Lal Yadav 'Nirhaua' accompanied the PM on the stage.

Polling in Lalganj and Azamgarh will be held in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha election on May 25.