In what could be a major embarrassment to the ruling BJP at the Centre, a Member of Parliament (MP) belonging to the AIADMK, has accused the party of trying to make India a Hindu theocratic State.
S R Balasubramoniyan, former Union Minister of State , who crossed over from the Congress to Tamil Manila Congress and since then to the AIADMK following the offering of a Rajya Sabha seat to him by former Chief
Minister J Jayalalithaa told the local media in Chennai that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has been working to convert India into a Hindu theocratic State.
“The BJP’s objective is to create a Hindu Rashtra. But it may not use the term openly and say it in so many words. Whenever they get an opportunity , the
BJP leaders, particularly Amit Shah, who leads the Home Ministry, will make use of his position for this purpose,” Balasubramoniyan (81) told the reporters.
The law maker also disclosed that though he had reservations about the Citizens Amendment Bill 2019 (CAB 2019) , a
Deputy Secretary from the Secretariat called him over phone and instructed him to vote in favour of the Government.
The AIADMK has reportedly asked its spokesmen not to react to media queries about the comments and observations made by the octogenarian Rajya Sabha member.
The CAB 2019 had a smooth sailing in the Rajya Sabha only because of the support extended by the AIADMK
which has 11 members in the House.
But Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami told reporters at Salem on Wednesday that the AIADMK voted in favour of the CAB-2019 only after getting assurance from the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister that the law was only to safeguard the security and interests of the whole country and no citizens would be affected by it.
“Questions are being raised about the denial of citizenship to Sri Lankan Tamils. All Sri Lankan Tamils who sought citizenship in this country have been
granted citizenship by the Government of India,” said Palaniswami.
He was responding to queries about the allegations by M K Stalin, president, DMK, that the CAA was discriminatory in nature and gross injustice was
being done to the Sri Lankan Tamils.
“It was Stalin, his father Late
M Karunanidhi , the then chief minister, whjo offered all help to the Sri Lankan Government in the liquidation of Tamils in Sri Lanka during the civil war in 2009. Though the DMK was part of the Union Government during most part of 1996 to 2013, it has done nothing to safeguard the interests of Tamil Nadu or Tamils,” said the chief minister.
Meanwhile, the DMK led opposition which met at Chennai on Wednesday decided to stage a major rally in the city on December 23 to highlight the public resentment against the CAA. This was revealed by Stalin who addressed the media after the one hour long meeting which was attended by all constituents of the DMK-led front.
“This law discriminates Muslims and we want all Muslims who come to India to be offered citizenship. The public should not believe Edappadi
Palaniswami and the AIADMK because they are slaves of Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah,” said
Stalin.