Grilled on CAA at WEF, Goyal says Muslims in India safer than anywhere else

Union minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said Muslims in India are safer than most places in the world.

"India is probably one of the most inclusive societies in the world," Goyal said here at a session on 'Strategic Outlook: India' at the WEF 2020.

"India is a country which welcomes all diverse viewpoints, all diverse opinions, the Muslims in India are safer than any other part of the world in terms of equal opportunity," he stressed.

He further noted that there is absolutely no discrimination in any of the government programmes.

"When we take electricity to every home we do not ask them their colour or their religion, when we take toilets, digital tech, bank accounts, cooking gas to every home we do not ask their religion. All our programmes are equal for all," the minister said.

Defending the new citizenship amendment law, Goyal also said, "India has a duty to protect people who are sufferers of religious persecution."

The minister for Railways as well as Commerce and Industry, said India is a land that has the power of democracy, demography, leadership, talent, culminating in the "power of opportunity."

"Citizenship is an area that every country protects, that every country has the rules of the game, every country has citizenship laws that are respected by the world," he said.

He further said there are about 57 odd islamic countries in the world and except for one or two, every country respects that what India is doing is for the welfare of the people of India, across all religion" he said.

On National Register of Citizens (NCR) and National Population Register (NPR), Goyal said every country has a population register and "NRC is a bogey that is being created".

There is political opposition in every country. A population register is something that every country does. Every country wants to know who is in that country. It has no relation to citizenship it is the population," he further noted.

Earlier in the morning, he also addressed business leaders at a breakfast session on India's USD 5 trillion GDP opportunity.

He said India has huge growth opportunities and invited businesses from across the world to come and do business in a much improved environment.