Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday said that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) did not discriminate against Indian citizens, and was only about people who were discriminated against in the neighbouring countries, which were theocratic.
“India is a country of ‘sarva dharma samabhava’ (secular) and has not persecuted anyone. It is neither expansionist nor colonial. It believes in ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, and sharing and caring is its core philosophy,” Mr. Naidu said here on Saturday while addressing a meeting at GITAM (Deemed to be) University after a book titled, ‘A Child of Density - An Autobiography’, authored by its Chancellor Koneru Rama Krishna Rao, was released.
If people who were originally Indians were persecuted, it was the country’s duty to take care of them, he said.
“If you read the Act, there is no mention of discrimination and any Act, whether it is CAA, Triple Talaq, or abrogation of Article 370, it must be studied thoroughly and understood,” Mr. Venkaiah Naidu said.
‘Disinformation campaign’
Lot of disinformation campaign was going on, and there were people interested in creating negative opinion about India, he said, asserting that Kashmir was an integral part of India and there was no question of giving an inch (of Kashmir) to anybody, however loud they might shout.
Article 370, which was a temporary clause for 70 years, was abrogated by Parliament.
It was the discussion some countries were indulging in that forced me to make a statement on the Floor of the House, and I am reiterating it, “No country has any business to interfere in the internal affairs of India, and we are capable to decide.”
Parliament had already announced that PoK was also a part of India, he added.
Mr. Venkaiah Naidu, who is Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, said that he was saddened and deeply disturbed by what had happened in Parliament on Friday, and expressed anguish over the fall in the level of debate in the legislatures and the kind of language used.
New curriculum
The Vice-President said the new curriculum to be worked out based on the recommendations of the Dr. Kasturirangan Committee should utilise look into the history, culture and tradition, and bringing about considerable changes even while utilising the new technological opportunities.
Mr. Naidu said there was a need to learn several languages, particularly English, in the competitive world, but the focus should be on laying foundation in the mother tongue.
The Vice-President showered praise on Prof. Rama Krishna Rao, calling him a multifaceted genius, an accomplished scientist, and a steadfast Gandhian.
He recalled his contribution to parapsychology, his services as Vice-Chancellor and as Chairman of the A.P. State Council of Higher Education under former Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao. He also recalled the vision of GITAM founder M.V.V.S. Murthy.
Prof. Rama Krishna Rao said youth should work with the motto of service.
GITAM Vice-Chancellor K. Siva Rama Krishna and president M. Sri Bharat spoke.
