Hitting out at the opposition parties, Bharatiya Janata Party state president Swatantra Dev Singh said that Samajwadi Party and Congress were spreading lies against the BJP government and Citizen (Amendment) Act to win the votes of Muslim community in the state.
“The lies about the CAA must be exposed as they are very detrimental for the society and the country,” Singh said while addressing reporters here on Sunday.
He said the BJP had taken up the cudgel to dispel the lies and therefore an awareness campaign would start from December 26 this year to January 25, 2020 during which the BJP leaders would go to every house and tell the people the importance of the CAA and how it would benefit the minorities of the neighbouring Muslim countries, he said.
“The youth who are out on the streets pelting stones at the police and destroying public property do not know the facts of the CAA. Leaders like Akhilesh Yadav have misled them. This is being done to win over the Muslim vote bank,” Singh said, adding that in the last 60 years, the political parties had used Muslims as a vote bank.
He said that the NRC (National Register of Citizens) and the CAA were not against any particular community. “These laws do not talk about taking away citizenship of any individual, including Muslims. In fact, the CAA gives citizenship to the people who are being persecuted,” the BJP state chief said.
‘“Violation of law is the culture of the SP, and if the SP chief feels violation of law is an achievement, then his party workers will follow him,” Singh said in reference to Akhilesh Yadav’s statement that people should violate law if it is against them.
Referring to the situation in UP the BJP state chief said, “UP is moving ahead on the road of peace and law and order scenario is good. We should not spread lies to realise our vested political interests. My appeal is that UP should not be taken on the path of violence and riots.”
The BJP state chief said, “I have met Muslim clerics and prominent people of the community and spoken to them. All of them said the decision (CAA) taken by (Narendra) Modiji and Amit Shahji is in the interest of the nation, society and the poor and for the country’s development. It is not against the Muslims”, he said.
Decisions like demonetisation, abrogation of Article 370 or surgical strikes were in the interest of the country, the BJP state chief said.