BJP leader and former Union Minister K.J. Alphons on Wednesday said that minorities were safe in the country under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
During the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address, Mr. Alphons asked, “What was the case before the 2014 elections? What were Christians told? They were told, you would all be beaten up and all your churches would be burnt [if the BJP came to power]. Sir, 2014 onwards, has even one Christian been beaten up? Has even one church been burnt in India?”
Mr. Alphons said fake videos were being circulated showing that the country was not safe under Mr. Modi.
“Here is a Prime Minister who says, ‘I am here for you; I will talk to you; I will understand your needs; I don’t come with all the wisdom in the world. I will do this for you.’ He talked to people and he said this is what you want and I am going to deliver. Sir, I have been a Member of the Council of Ministers for 21 months. I have never seen a more democratic Prime Minister than Mr. Narendra Modi,” he said.
“We shall have a ‘New India’. We had an old India where the country was being sold off to middlemen,” he said, adding that the Opposition should appreciate the government’s achievements.
Mr. Alphons said that that this was his maiden speech in the Upper House. “I had the privilege of being the Tourism Minister of this country for 21 months. But, unfortunately, I never got a chance to open my mouth in this House, neither to answer a question, nor to make a statement,” he said.
