Union minister Piyush Goyal on Friday slammed the Congress for “instigating” youngsters, spreading violence and deliberately confusing people about the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). Without naming the Shiv Sena, Goyal also taunted the former ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for its “confused stand” on CAA, and questioned its Hindutva credentials.
The Union railway minister was speaking at the Indian Merchant’s Chamber Centre at Churchgate as part of the BJP’s 10-day outreach programme to clarify misconceptions about CAA. “The Opposition is either confused or there is a deliberate plan to mislead people. They are trying to instigate youngsters and spread violence,’’ said Goyal, adding, “The Congress is losing ground in every state and struggling to stay relevant in India. Even in Maharashtra, where they ruled at one time, they now stand in the fourth position. So, now they are trying to reach out to a certain class to instigate them to commit violence by creating fear among them.” Goyal also slammed the Sena, stating that the party had made big promises about Hindutva, but has now turned away from them.
The Congress, however, said that the BJP was attempting a “cover-up” after realising that it had goofed up. “Does the government want to say that all those opposing the Act, from scientists to students to homemakers, are all stupid to get misled? People know about BJP’s lies now. The home minister has linked the CAA to NRC [National Register of Citizens] several times and now they are backtracking,” said Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant.
{{/usCountry}}The Congress, however, said that the BJP was attempting a “cover-up” after realising that it had goofed up. “Does the government want to say that all those opposing the Act, from scientists to students to homemakers, are all stupid to get misled? People know about BJP’s lies now. The home minister has linked the CAA to NRC [National Register of Citizens] several times and now they are backtracking,” said Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant.
{{/usCountry}}Goyal, however, traced “the root of CAA” to Partition and said the Congress was responsible for the same. “According to the Nehru-Liaquat accord, Pakistan and India were to protect their minorities. In Pakistan, there were 23% minorities, and now there are 3%. In India, we have protected our minorities, their population has only grown,’’ he said.
The Union minister also clarified that the National Population Register (NPR) was only a process to enumerate the number of citizens in India and was announced by former prime minister Manmohan Singh. “Don’t believe WhatsApp forwards that you will need documents for NPR. It will help plan government schemes,’’ Goyal said. He also alleged that NRC was unnecessarily being linked to CAA, and no deliberations had taken place over it.
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