PM Modi, Shah can't discriminate on basis of religion, says former Governor Qureshi

Former Uttar Pradesh Governor Aziz Qureshi has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have no right to discriminate on the basis of religion, which is unconstitutional.

"Mahatma Gandhi and Jawahar Lal Nehru opposed the idea of Hindu India after the partition of the country. Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have no right to discriminate on the basis of religion as it is unconstitutional. They are practising divisive policies and making detention camps," Qureshi said while addressing a gathering at an anti-CAA protest here on Saturday.

"I want to tell PM Modi and Shah to look at history. They will observe that Muslims have made sacrifices for the country in the past 1,200 years. In the first war of Independence in 1857, several Muslims sacrificed their lives for the country," he added.

Qureshi further said that the Constitution grants equality to all citizens of the country and the founding fathers had envisioned a country that does not discriminate on the basis of religion.

"A Constituent Assembly was made in 1945. But unfortunately, our country got partitioned. The Constituent Assembly made a Constitution for the country in 1950. The preamble of the Constitution talks about equality and fraternity between the citizens," he said.

"Pandit Nehru had said before the Constitution was made that there will be no discrimination between people based on their religion, caste, sect or region," the former Uttar Pradesh Governor said.

The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) grants citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist, and Christian refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.