PM Modi asks NDA leaders to back CAA strongly, says has no reason to feel defensive

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday asserted that his government has no reason to feel defensive about the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and asked NDA leaders to back the measure strongly in Parliament.

A BJP ally told PTI after the meeting that Modi asked the NDA leaders, who met to strategise as Parliament's Budget Session began here on Friday, to aggressively take on the opposition's charge that the amended citizenship law discriminated against Muslims and said that minorities are as much "ours as other citizens are".

The government has done nothing wrong as far as the amended Citizenship Act is concerned and has no reason to feel defensive about, he said, according to the ally, who did not wish to be quoted.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders also hailed the prime minister for the Bodo accord and settlement of Bru tribe members in Tripura.

Opposition leaders have said they will raise the issue of nationwide protests against the CAA in the session, as they accused the Modi government of arrogance and making no effort to reach out to protestors. PTI KR/JTR KJ