CAA did not come up during PM Modi, Trump talks: Foreign Secretary

New Delhi: The issue of Citizen Amendment Act (CAA) did not come up during talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Tuesday.

“The issue of CAA did not come up. However, with regard to religious freedom, there is an appreciation on both sides that pluralism and diversity are common binding factors in both the countries. President Donald Trump yesterday in Ahmedabad said about the religious diversity and how it is evident in India,” Shringla said during a press conference after India-US talks.

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on being asked,if the issue of CAA, NRC & religious freedom were raised?: The issue of CAA didn’t come up. There was an appreciation from both side that pluralism and diversity are a common binding factor of both the countries. https://t.co/g1HMLJxQ6h pic.twitter.com/uNC30pyaBN

— ANI (@ANI) February 25, 2020

President Trump and Prime Minister Modi held bilateral talks earlier in the day. The two leaders also presided over India-US delegation-level talks.

The CAA grants citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist, and Christian refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who came to India on or before December 31, 2014. Protests have erupted across the country against the contentious CAA since Parliament gave its nod to the law last year.

Addressing a gathering in Ahmedabad at ‘Namaste Trump’ event on Monday, the US President had lauded India’s diversity in his speech and said the harmonious coexistence of millions of followers of various religions in the country served as “inspiration to the world”. (ANI)