Modi rules out rethinking on controversial citizenship law

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today ruled out rethinking on the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act, and said his government would remain firm on the step over the claim that the new law was made in national interest despite pressure from all sides.

"Be it the scrapping of Article 370 (which conferred special constitutional status) from Jammu and Kashmir or the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the country waited for decisions on these for years," he told a public meeting in his parliamentary constituency.

"These decisions were necessary in the interest of the nation. Despite pressure from all sides, we are firm on the decisions and will continue to remain firm," Modi said.

The prime minister's remarks came even as protests against the CAA continue in various parts of the country, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

Earlier, the violent anti-CAA protests and police firing in December last year and January this year claimed more than 20 lives across India.

Indian parliament passed CAA in December last year, sparking the protests.

Besides, Article 370 of the Constitution, which accorded special powers to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, were abrogated by the government in August last year, turning the area into a federally-ruled territory.