Amid public unrest and Opposition’s pitch against the amended Citizenship Law, that allows six religiously persecuted minorities excluding Muslims from three neighouring countries to take Indian citizenship, the BJP on Sunday announced a nationwide campaign to spread awareness about the legislation, asserting that it was not discriminatory against Muslims or any other community.
The Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019, which was passed last week by Parliament which has now turned effective as an act with Presidential assent has triggered public protest in the North-East, Bengal and the national Capital with police and army called out at the epicenters of the violence.
The ruling BJP has sought to “dispel” the Congress and a section of other Opposition’s campaign that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was unconstitutional as it seeks to exclude Muslim persecuted minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan from the provisions of CAA and is thus discriminatory.
Party spokesperson Sambit Patra told a Press conference on Sunday that the BJP workers will spread out across the country to inform people about the law that, he said, meant to provide Indian citizenships to persecuted minorities — Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, Budhists, Jains and Christians — in the neighouring three countries where their numbers have come down drastically on account of various discrimination against them.
The party has affirmed that the CAA was not against Muslims as has been “orchestrated” by the Opposition parties, particularly the Congress. “There is no provision in this law that even a single right of our Muslim brothers and sisters will be taken away. Instead rights will be provided to those who are living in India without any rights facing religious persecution in countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan,” Patra said.
He said party functionaries from 11 States were briefed by the national leadership on the law’s provisions here on Sunday before they start a campaign in their respective State. The party has asked all the MPs, including those from Rajya Sabha, to visit their constituencies and States to create awareness about the provisions of the CAA and the specific purpose for which it was passed by the Parliament.
The state level leadership of the party including Ministers and MLAs would also be required to update themselves and inform public on the correct and positive implications of the Act.
Special awareness campaigns would be launched by the party in the North-East which has been the first to witness public protest after the bill was passed by Parliament with the apprehensions that giving citizenships to migrants across the borders and those already there in the region may impact the demography of the region and may also affect their social and cultural identity.
In the BJP Parliamentary party meet last week which was also attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the central leadership had directed all party MPs to counter political campaign launched by the Opposition against the Bill.