New Delhi/Lucknow: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday slam-med those who damaged public property during the recent protests in Uttar Pradesh against the amended citizenship law, saying that they should understand that rights and duties go hand in hand.
Mr Modi was addressing a gathering after unveiling a statue of Atal Behari Vajpayee at Lucknow’s Lok Bhavan on the former PM’s birth anniversary. He also laid the foundation stone for the Atal Behari Vajpayee Medical Univer-sity in Lucknow.
“They (vandals) should ask themselves — was it right? Whatever was torched, was it not for their child’s use? What has happened to those people and policemen who got injured?” Mr Modi asked, adding that he wanted to tell those who damaged public property “not to forget that rights and duties go hand in hand”.
Over 15 people were killed, 263 police personnel injured and state-owned property damaged in violence during the protests against the CAA in several UP districts.
Referring to the abrogation of Article 370, the PM said it was an “old disease” and it was resolved peacefully. “How old a disease was Article 370. How difficult it appeared. But it was our responsibility as to how to face such difficult challenges. And it was done easily. ‘Sabki dhaarna ye choor choor ho gaya’ (everyone’s perception was smashed).”
Mr Modi pointed out that the Ram Janmabhoomi issue was also resolved peacefully. On CAA, Mr Modi said that giving citizenship to those who came to India from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanis-tan to “save the dignity of their daughters” was anot-her problem whose solution was found by 130 crore Indians. “With this self-confidence, Hindustanis are entering a new decade. Whatever is left to be done, all Indians are trying to find a solution,” he said.
The PM said the roadmap to better healthcare was based on four points — preventive healthcare, affordable healthcare, supply-side intervention and mission-mode intervention. He also highlighted the schemes of his government in this direction. On the medical university, he said it would provide affiliation to government, semi-government and private colleges, and help improve the quality of medical education in Uttar Pradesh.
