Narendra Modi on Sunday said “rashtrabhakti” motivated him and his government to help people of various faiths, including Christians, and dubbed as “fatwa” a letter issued by Gandhinagar archbishop.
Modi was referring to the letter issued last month by Thomas Macwan, archbishop of the Archdiocese of Gandhinagar, in which he had appealed to Christians to pray to save the country from “nationalist forces”.
“I was shocked to see a religious person releasing a ‘fatwa’ saying uproot the nationalist forces. It is ’Rashtrabhakti’ (nationalism) that guides us to help every Indian in any part of the world,” Mr. Modi said.
Modi was speaking at a gathering after inaugurating a hospital on the campus of Shree Swaminarayan Gurukul Vishwavidya Pratisthanam (SGVP).
He said it was a “matter of concern” if some people are opposing such values.
The priest had also said that “democratic fabric” of the country was at stake amidst growing “sense of insecurity” among minorities, which was viewed as a jibe at the ruling BJP.
Modi said his government had saved and rescued people of different faiths irrespective of their religion.
