Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the launch of the party's election campaign to launch a fierce attack on his critics, challenging them to "lay bare" before the country if any of his policies discriminated between people. "Stand up and respect parliament, respect the government elected by the people," he exhorted them from Delhi's Ramlila Maidan, about a kilometre away from Daryaganj in the old quarter of Delhi that was hit by violence on Friday during the protests against the amended Citizenship Act.
At the outset of his address - meant to launch the party's election campaign - the Prime Minister set the tone with a new slogan. "Unity in diversity is India's specialty," he said amid nationwide protests against the new citizenship law that was cleared by parliament next week.
This is PM Modi's first election rally in Delhi since he won a massive mandate for a second term in national elections earlier this year. The BJP is eyeing a comeback in the national capital after two decades. The Delhi state election -- likely to be held early next year -- will be the first major electoral test for the BJP in the wake of the mass demonstrations seen after parliament cleared the Citizenship Amendment Act on December 11.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act for the first time makes religion the test of citizenship in India. The government says it will help minorities from three Muslim-dominated countries - Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan - to get citizenship if they fled to India before 2015 because of religious persecution. Critics say it is designed to discriminate against Muslims and violates the secular principles of the constitution.
The BJP plans to connect with three crore families over the next 10 days in an outreach effort. This will include several hundred rallies and more than 250 press conferences to clear "misconceptions" about the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA.