Was Nehru communal as he wanted to protect religious minorities from Pakistan: PM Modi to Congress

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hit out at the Congress in Lok Sabha over its opposition to the CAA and asked if first premier Jawaharlal Nehru could be described as “communal” for seeking citizenship for religious minorities from Pakistan.

Replying to a debate on Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address, Modi said that even Nehru had wanted Indian citizenship for religious minorities from Pakistan as he defended the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

He said the first Prime Minister of India (Jawaharlal Nehru) wrote to the first chief minister of Assam (Gopinath Bordoloi), saying there was a need to differentiate between Hindu refugees and Muslim migrants.

Modi said Nehru was of the view that even laws can be changed in this regard.

He said Nehru had wanted to defend minorities in then West Pakistan and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).

“Was he communal, did he want to create a Hindu Rashtra…I want to ask the Congress,” the Prime Minister said.

He said Nehru was a big thinker. Why did he not include all citizens but mentioned