Only Those Saying 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' Will Stay In India: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Saturday that only those who say "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" will stay in India even as protests continue across the country over the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

He lashed out at those opposing the NRC and CAA, asking whether they wanted the country to become a "Dharam Shala" (an open house).

He was addressing the 54th state conference of the RSS youth wing Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in Pune, Maharashtra.

"Whether the sacrifice given by Bhagat Singh and Subhas Chandra Bose will go waste? People have fought for freedom not because we have to count after 70 years who all are citizens. Whether we will make this country a Dharamshala?" asked Pradhan.

"We have to accept the challenges on this issue. We have to make this thought clear. In Bharat, it's mandatory to say 'Bharat Mata ki Jai', only such type of people will stay." he said.

(With inputs from PTI)

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