Damage Control Exercise by Modi government: NCP leader Nawab Malik on Padma Shri to Adnan Sami

After Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Maharashtra Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik on Monday also objected to the centre’s decision to confer Padma Shri to Pakistan-born singer Adnan Sami. 

Malik, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) spokesperson, labelled the Narendra Modi government’s decision to grant Padma Shri to Adnan Sami as an “insult” to the people of India. 

The minister stated that this move by the Modi government was a “damage control exercise” amid the ongoing protests across the country over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC). 

“It is a clear-cut case that if anybody from Pakistan chants ‘Jai Modi’, he will get citizenship as well as the Padma Shri Award. Giving the award to Adnan Sami is a damage control exercise,” a news agency quoted Nawab Malik. 

Nawab Malik said that this was done to prove that the central government doesn’t discriminate against Pakistani Muslims while taunting that any Pakistani citizen who praised the Modi government could get Indian citizenship. 

“Due to the CAA protests, the world is seeing what is happening in India. The government wants to prove that we are giving citizenship to the Pakistani Muslims and we are awarding Padma Shri to them. It is an insult to the people of India,” said Malik. 

The Padma Shri was granted to 118 people and the names were announced on Saturday. The list possessed by Ministry of Home Affairs revealed Sami’s home state as Maharashtra. 

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has condemned the Padma Shri granted to Adnan Sami saying that he is not an original Indian citizen. 

In a tweet, MNS’ cinema wing President Amey Khopkar said that Adnan Sami was not original Indian citizens and shouldn’t be given any award. 

“Sami is not an original Indian citizen and MNS strongly believes that he shouldn’t be given any award. We condemn the decision to honour him with Padma Shri and demand that this decision should be withdrawn,” Amey Khopkar tweeted. 

Congress has also opposed the decision of centre to grant Padma Shri to Adnan Sami. The party released a video which stated that Indian Army’s Mohammad Sanaullah who fought in Kargil against Pakistan was excluded from the National Register of Citizens (NRC) which happened in Assam. 

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On the other hand, Adnan Sami whose father was an officer in Pakistani Air force and fought against India was granted Padma Shri, Congress said.