Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday stirred a significant political and emotional chord while addressing the Sindhi Samaj Sammelan in the national capital. Drawing from a remark once made by former Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani, Singh said that borders are never permanent and “who knows, tomorrow Sindh may return to India again.”
The Sindh region, historically the heartland of Sindhi culture and once the centre of the Indus Valley Civilisation, became part of Pakistan during the 1947 Partition. Speaking to members of the Sindhi community, Singh reiterated its deep civilisational bond with India.
“This is Advani’s (Lal Krishna Advani) quote. Today, the land of Sindh may not be a part of India, but civilisationally, Sindh will always be a part of India. And as far as land is concerned, borders can change. Who knows, tomorrow Sindh may return to India again,” he said.
Singh also elaborated on the region’s cultural and spiritual significance, noting its shared reverence among communities. Referring to Advani’s writings, he added, “I'd also like to mention the Lal Krishna Advani here. He wrote in one of his books that Sindhi Hindus, especially those of his generation, still haven't accepted the separation of Sindh from India. Not just in Sindh, but throughout India, Hindus considered the Indus River sacred. Many Muslims in Sindh also believed that the water of the Indus was no less sacred than the Aab-e-Zamzam of Mecca.”
Underscoring these cultural ties, Singh remarked, “Our people of Sindh, who hold the Indus River sacred, will always be our own. No matter where they are, they will always be ours.”
During his address, the Defence Minister also strongly advocated for the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), calling it a necessary step to protect minority communities in neighbouring countries who had suffered violence and persecution. He criticised past governments for what he described as neglect and appeasement-driven policies.
“...Minority communities in many neighbouring countries have been suffering for years. Their homes were burned, their children were killed, their daughters were subjected to cruelty and torture, and people were forcibly converted. When many of them somehow managed to escape and come to India, the treatment meted out to them by appeasement-seeking governments cannot be condemned enough,” Singh said.
He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi understood the plight of these groups, saying, “A special class of people coming from neighbouring countries was given refuge. But the people of this Hindu community, who truly deserved it, were not given the rights they deserved. Their suffering was not understood with compassion. But if anyone understood this pain, it was our Prime Minister Narendra Modi...That is why we introduced the Citizenship Amendment Bill.”
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 — notified on December 12, 2019, and enforced from January 10, 2020 — enables fast-track citizenship for migrants from Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who entered India on or before December 31, 2014, and were exempted under relevant provisions of the Passport (Entry into India) Act and the Foreigners Act.
