Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman addresses a press conference in Delhi.

MUMBAI: Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman warned on Monday of jihadists, Maoists and separatists infiltrating the students’ protests against the new citizenship act and expressed concern over mainstream political parties aligning themselves with people talking of breaking up India.

“Student movement is one thing, student protests are one thing, but it is a totally different thing to have jihadists’, Maoists’ or separatists’ movement also getting into it,” Sitharaman said during an interaction over video at the Times Network India Economic Conclave.

Responding to a question on student protests at Jamia Millia Islamia University, Sitharaman said she was not aware of what had happened there. However, speaking on the student protests, she said, “Universities have always been the place where students go through a high level of idealism and protests have always happened there. It has happened under various governments with different political dispensations,” she said.

“That said, I also would want to differentiate between protests which sometimes go out of hand from student unions and get support from mainstream political parties who align themselves with Maoists and separatist elements. And when they extend support for India-breaking groups, that is worrying,” said Sitharaman.

Later, speaking at the same event, Union law and justice, communications, electronics and information technology minister Ravi Shankar Prasad attacked the Congress, saying it was trying to communalise the issue despite the law having no impact on Indian citizens irrespective of religion.

Prasad said the National Register of Citizens (NRC) draft was not ready and there would be debate on it after the final draft. “During elections is not the voter list updated? At that time no one creates a problem that privacy is being invaded. When we come out with a final draft, much of the misgivings will be addressed,” Prasad said.

Sitharaman expressed surprise at the Congress party’s response to the new law. “The Congress party is behaving as though they have heard about it only now. They have been part of our manifesto and our election campaign. We mobilised the public votes on this. They are part of our manifesto and we are duty-bound to implement them,” she said.

Describing the Congress as misguided, she said the party began as a movement during the freedom struggle. “Mahatma Gandhi had said that now that the movement has achieved independence, the so-called party that it became later was to be disbanded. But the Congress converted itself into a political party and its agenda was not nation-building, it became being subservient to a single family,” said Sitharaman.

The finance minister said the protests would not result in the government diluting its responses to the challenges of the economy and that she was working with the PM on engaging with every sector to address their concerns. “I am equally confident that home minister Amit Shah and the Prime Minister are seized of the way in which society will have to be going in harmony, and whatever they are doing they are explaining very well (sic),” she said.

