New Delhi, Feb 6 (IANS): Accusing the Congress of indulging in political hypocrisy on the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Thursday said in Parliament the NRC was first introduced by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

During the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address, Javadekar said the Congress had introduced the NRC in 1985 and the National Population Register (NPR) in 2010 (during the UPA rule).

"When you brought it, we welcomed it. But if we do the same, you oppose it. It's political hypocrisy," he said.

Referring to abrogation of Article 370, Javadekar said three former Chief Ministers of J&K had been held in guest houses for around three months as a temporary measure. "But the Congress had kept Sheikh Abdullah in the custody for 11 years," he said.

Talking about the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), Javadekar said it was only an amendment with a specific intent. "The CAA is a specific amendment for specific proof of citizenship of a person persecuted in a specific country on religious grounds," he said.

On the Shaheen Bagh protests, Javadekar said the NDA government had not taken steps like clampdown on the Ramlila ground protests (in 2011) by the then UPA government.

"Those among you who support the Shaheen Bagh protests, tell me do you support Sharjeel Imam's statements (on separating Assam from India)," he asked the Opposition.

Javadekar said improvement in the country's internal security was evident from decline in terror attacks or bomb blasts in the recent times.