Violence in the name of protest weakens country: President

New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday hit out at those who indulge in violent activities in the name of protests and said that the government is ready for mutual discussions and debate on each issue but said such violent activities weaken the society and the nation.

The President was addressing the joint sitting of Parliament at the Central Hall here, before the start of the Budget session. The first part of the session began on Friday and will go on till February 11, after which the session will be adjourned for a recess. The second half of the session will commence from March 2 and will go on till April 3.

“My Government is of the firm view that mutual discussions and debates strengthen democracy. At the same time, any kind of violence in the name of protests weakens the society and the nation,” Kovind said.

His remarks came in the backdrop of violent protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

The Lok Sabha passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 on December 9 last year, while the Rajya Sabha passed it on December 12.

The Act came into force on January 10 this year.

As per the law, migrants of six non-Muslim communities — Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian — who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014 will be given Indian citizenship.

The law sparked countrywide protests and violence at some places in which about 25 people were killed. Over 2,000 people have been arrested and around 5,000 detained while protesting against the CAA.

IANS