Headlines
Don't play with nation's unity: Modi on 'immigrant' goof-up
New Delhi, Feb 4
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Wednesday defended the party over the Vision Document goof-up calling
northeastern people "immigrants" and said the issue was being raked up
for political benefits.
"Attempts are being made to provoke
people from northeast... a mistake was made and the party accepted it,"
Modi said addressing a BJP election rally in Ambedkar Nagar of Delhi.
"No one should play with the unity of of the country for political benefits," the prime minister said.
The
comments came as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)called its Vision Document
reference to northeastern people in Delhi as "immigrants" an
"inadvertent mistake" and regretted it.
"Due to an inadvertent
mistake the word immigrant was used in the Vision Document. The party
regrets this," Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said
here Wednesday.
"The word immigrant was used in the heading, but the paragraph ahead used the word migrant," he said at a press conference.
"Our
brothers and sisters from northeast are proud citizens of India
wherever they are. The BJP walks an extra mile to ensure their safety
and this mistake is regretted," said Prasad, the communications and
information technology minister.
On Tuesday, the BJP released its
Vision Document for Saturday's Delhi elections. It carried a paragraph
promising security of people from northeast, the heading for which said:
"North eastern immigrants to be protected".
"Special cells in
all police stations and special 24-hour helpline numbers to be set up
for the protection of the northeastern migrants. To safeguard the
students of north east origin, special guardianship will be arranged
with local families for them," the document added.
The special
reference to people from the northeast in the party's Vision Document
found mention as there have been many incidents of attacks on people
from the region in Delhi.
But an edited version was published on
the BJP website Wednesday with the word "immigrants" removed as well as
the reference to "migrants" in the subsequent elaboration.
The heading was changed to "People from the North East in Delhi to be protected".
"Special
cells in all police stations and special 24 hour helpline numbers to be
set up for the protection of the North Eastern People living in Delhi,"
the edited version said.
"To safeguard the Students of N.E.
(northeast) origin, special guardianships will be arranged with local
families for them," it added.