Modi accuses Opp of misleading Muslims on CAA, but fails to address NRC concerns

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Modi accuses Opp of misleading Muslims on CAA, but fails to address NRC concerns

Modi did not utter a single word on the questions asked by the opposition parties on the issue

Sunday December 22, 2019 5:46 PM, ummid.com with inputs from Agencies

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the BJP rally in New Delhi Sunday accused the Congress, Left parties and others of misleading Muslims on Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 (CAA). But, he failed to address their concerns on National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Though the focus of the rally was the upcoming Delhi Assembly election where the BJP's state unit drummed up the fact that the Centre regularised illegal colonies that benefitted thousands, Modi talked at length about Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) however uttered not a single word on the questions asked by opposition parties on the issue.

"Citizenship Act doesn't apply to any Indians - be it Hindu or Muslim. It applies to the refugees from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan," he said. Invoking Mahatma Gandhi, Modi made his point but not without taking a sharp dig at the Gandhi family.

"There's no discussion on NRC... Some educated urban naxals are spreading this rumour that all Muslims will be sent to detention centres. 'Ye jhhut hai, ye jhhut hai, ye jhhut hai' (These are lies)," he said even as the Ministry of Home Affarirs (MHA) on Friday issued a short guideline for "proving" citizenship.

Union Hime Minister Amit Shah had also during the debate on CAA in Lok Sabha said CAA will be succeeded by NRC. Opposition said they are not opposed to citizenship to persecuted minorities if they are given citizenship. They are opposed to, they said, the way the act was passed and raised concerns over the consequences if CAA is linked with NRC.

A number of opposition members said the CAA combined with NRC is not only against Muslims, but against poor. "People will be forced to line up for documents as they did after note bandi", Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi said.

Modi however dismissed all these concerns and accused Congress and "some urban Naxals" of misleading the country on the issue.

"The Congress and its allies - some Urban Naxals - are spreading rumors that all Muslims will be sent to detention centres. At least value your education... at least read once about the Citizenship Amendment Act," Modi said while addressing the BJP rally organised to kickstart the party campaign for the 2020 Delhi Assembly election.

"Those who are the Muslims of this country's soil, they have nothing to do with the citizenship law and the NRC. Neither is anybody sending the nation's Muslims to detention centres nor are there any detention centres in India. This is a white lie which is dividing the nation," he said even as there are reports that some state governments have been asked to arrange lands for detention centres.

Modi also did not spare a word for students who have been blinded, killed and injured by the police. Instead, he called upon the BJP workers to support policemen, who, he said, were laying down their lives.

A number of people in Assam have been shifted to detention centres after they failed to provide necessary documents that proved citizenship.

At least 18 people, most of them Muslims, have so far bee died in anti-CAA and anti-NRC protests in Uttar Pradesh alone. Making life worse for Muslims, the state government has siezed a number of shops to what it said "recover" losses to damages done to public properties during the protest.

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