CAA street protests, arson road to anarchy: PM Modi

New Delhi : Accusing the Opposition of inciting protests against the CAA, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday warned that street agitations against decisions of Parliament and state assemblies may lead to "anarchy" and that everyone should be worried over it.

Strongly defending the Citizenship (Amendment) Act which has triggered protests, Modi reiterated in Lok Sabha that it does not affect any Indian citizen and poses no harm to minorities, and said those rejected by people in elections are fuelling protests against it for their "vote bank politics".

He accused the Opposition of using all its might to stoke "imaginary" fears about the law, which grants citizenship to minorities from three Muslim countries in the neighbourhood, and likened its stand to that of Pakistan, saying Islamabad spoke the same language for decades to mislead and incite Indian Muslims.

Pakistan could not succeed, and what has surprised him that those thrown out of power by voters here have resorted to doing such things, Modi said in his over 100-minute-long reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address, which was later passed by Lok Sabha.

So much criticism of the CAA has been made ironically by those who love getting photographed with the group of people who want "tukde tukde" of India, he said, adding that even courts have asserted that protests should not inconvenience people and be not marked by violence.

"We have seen the kind of speeches and remarks were made recently (in these protests). Big leaders of opposition go there. I regret it," he said.

The Congress was expected to be a responsible Opposition, but it had taken a wrong turn, he said.