New Delhi:

India is very proud of the contribution of Sikhs towards nation-building, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Rajya Sabha on Monday while replying to the motion of thanks on President’s address.

“This country is proud of every Sikh. What have they not done for this country? Whatever respect we give them will always be less. I have been fortunate to spend crucial years of my life in Punjab. The language used by some against them and the attempt to mislead them will never benefit the nation,” said PM Modi.

He also recalled the 1984 riots. “We must not forget what happened with Punjab. It suffered the most during the partition. It cried the most during the 1984 riots. They became victims of the most painful incidents. Innocents were killed in Jammu and Kashmir. The business of weapons was carried out in the northeast. All this affected the nation,” he said.

Many farmers, mainly from Punjab, are protesting for over 70 days on the borders of Delhi against the three newly enacted farm laws. They demand repealing of laws as well as the assurance of Minimum Support Price (MSP) by the government.

“MSP was there. MSP is there. MSP will remain in the future. Affordable ration for the poor will continue and mandis will be modernised,” the PM Modi said while replying to the motion of thanks in Rajya Sabha.

He had earlier blamed the Opposition parties including Congress for trying to ‘misguide’ the farmers over the new agriculture laws.