india

Updated: Dec 17, 2019 01:34 IST

New Delhi Even as students of colleges and universities across the country came out in protest against the alleged police action against the students of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) in the national capital on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a series of tweets on Monday, articulated the government’s stand on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

He said while dissent is an essential part of democracy, violence is not. “Violent protests on the CAA are unfortunate and distressing. Debate, discussion and dissent are essential parts of democracy but, never has damage to public property and disturbance of normal life been a part of our ethos,” tweeted the Prime Minister.

His reference was clearly to violent protests following the passage of CAA last week, with five people dying in Assam, several instances of arson in West Bengal, and violent protests in Delhi on Sunday, during which public buses were burnt and the police barged into JMI.

Modi said the need of the hour is for all to work together for the empowerment of every Indian, especially the poor, downtrodden and marginalised. Blaming the violence on “vested interest groups”, the PM alleged that they are out to divide India.

Assuring the people that there will be no discrimination based on religion, Modi said, “I want to unequivocally assure my fellow Indians that CAA does not affect any citizen of India of any religion. No Indian has anything to worry…This Act is only for those who have faced years of persecution outside and have no other place to go except India.” The PM also appealed to everyone to refrain from rumour mongering.

The CAA fast-tracks citizenship for non-Muslim minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Protests against it in the North-east are largely driven by the issue of identity -- locals do not want outsiders, no matter what their religion is. In other parts of the country, the fear is that the government will use CAA along with a nation-wide National Register of Citizens. In Assam, 1.9 million people have been excluded from the NRC. This includes both Hindus and Muslims. CAA will provide a way out for non-Muslims who have been in India from before 31 december 2014.

BJP’s national president and home minister Amit Shah also urged Congress, AAP and TMC to desist from spreading rumours about the CCA that created a violent atmosphere in the country and asked them to get back from their stand as it would not lead to anyone’s betterment.

Addressing a public rally in Jharkhand’s Santhal Pargana division in Poryahat assembly segment, Shah said, “I want to explain that the CCA was necessitated to give citizenship rights to thousands of illegal immigrants, mostly comprising poor Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhas, Jains, Christians and Parsis, ousted from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. But, the Congress is playing vote bank politics over the issue.”

The home minister further appealed, “Don’t get swayed by rumours as the Congress, APP and TMC are misguiding you and have created a violent atmosphere in the country. I also urge the Congress-APP-TMC to get back from your stand as it would not lead to anyone’s betterment.”

Reacting to Shah’s appeal, Congress’ state spokesperson Kishore Shahdeo said, “It is not that the Congress had not presented its stand in the Parliament during discussions on citizenship amendment bill. But, the BJP leaders are so arrogant that they don’t want to listen to any one.”

He added, “People did not give majority to the BJP to enact laws against its own citizens.”

Human resource development minister Ramesh Pokhriyal tweeted an appeal to students. He wrote, “I appeal to all students to abstain from violence and maintain peace on their campuses. Please do not pay attention to rumours. Communal harmony and brotherhood are the need of the hour. We should not do anything that’s against the national interest.”

Adressing the media in the national capital, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) called the spate of protests against CAA a conspiracy of opposition parties such as the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the All India Trinamool Congress. Justifying the CAA , party spokesperson Sambit Patra said, “The act doesn’t snatch rights but is an enabling law.”

Responding to the criticism by opposition leaders including All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen MP Asaduddin Owaisi and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Patra said, “It seems [Rahul] Gandhi is trying to relaunch himself,” adding, “How is it that soon after the Saturday rally (the Congress held a big rally against CAA in Delhi), protests start across the country on Sunday?”

Senior BJP leader GVL Narasimha Rao claimed parties such as the Congress, the Trinamool Congress and the Left, by opposing CAA, have laid bare their votebank- and appeasement-politics as they have done on several occasions in the past. Opposition leaders, including Mamata Banerjee, Manmohan Singh and Prakash Karat, have themselves raised demands for citizenship for Hindu and Sikh refugees from Pakistan and Bangladesh in the past, he added.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad lashed out at Shah, saying it is shameful that our home minister wants communal tensions and division between Hindus and Muslims.