New Delhi : President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday hailed the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act as “historic” in his address to a joint sitting of both houses of Parliament, prompting protests by some opposition members.

He also said that debate and discussion on any issue, strengthens democracy while violence during protests weaken it.

“The Citizenship Amendment Act is a historic law. It has fulfilled wishes of our founding fathers including Mahatma Gandhi,” he said.

“Debate and discussions strengthen democracy but violence during protests weaken democracy,” he said without directly referring to the anti-CAA protests in the country some of which have witnessed violence.

In a reference to abrogation of Article 370, Kovind said there is happiness among people of India that people in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have got rights on par with the rest of the country.

The President said Parliament has created a record in the first seven months of the new government headed by Narendra Modi by enacting several landmark legislations.

“My government is taking strong steps for making this decade as India’s decade and this century as India’s century,” he said.