P Chidambaram criticised Narendra Modi government on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act
Highlights
- "Why give citizenship to people already citizens of Pak": P Chidambaram
- "What is the meaning of such challenges to opposition," he said
- PM Modi accused Congress of "spreading fear" among Muslims
Congress leader P Chidambaram today responded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dare to the opposition party to "declare openly" that it is willing to make every Pakistani an Indian citizen, in reference to protests against the citizenship law across the country. PM Modi had made the remarks at an election rally in Jharkhand, where staggered elections are in progress.
"Why should we give citizenship to people who are already citizens of Pakistan? What is the meaning of such challenges to the opposition," Mr Chidambaram questioned in tweets.
"It is gratifying that the students and the young generation are liberal, secular, tolerant and exhibit humanism. Is the government challenging these values," added the former union minister, who was recently released from prison on bail in a corruption case.
PM Modi yesterday accused the Congress of "spreading fear" among Muslims and reasserted that no citizen of the country would be affected by the new law.
"I want to throw an open challenge to the Congress and its allies," PM Modi said at the rally in Jharkhand's Berhait. "If they (Congress and its allies) have the guts, they should openly announce that they are ready to grant Indian citizenship to every Pakistani citizen. Then the country will make them pay... Not just that. If they have the courage, let them say they will restore Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir that Modi removed."
The Prime Minister said the Congress was used to the politics of "spreading falsehoods and fear" in the country. The Congress should "stop this guerilla politics", said the PM, adding: "Because of the Congress's divide and rule policy, the nation has already been divided once. The country has been broken into pieces before. The way they let lakhs of infiltrators enter India and used them as their votebank."
In response, another Congress leader, Kapil Sibal, tweeted: "Dear Modiji Instead of being obsessed with the citizens of Pakistan please turn your attention to the citizens of Indian and try and address their problems. Remember the people of India elected you to solve the problems confronting our citizens."
Protests against the citizenship law, passed last week, have swept through college campuses in the country after violence erupted at a students' protest at Jamia Millia University in Delhi on Sunday.
Last evening, there were protests in parts of east Delhi including Seelampur, where protesters threw stones at the police, burnt vehicles and also attacked a school bus. The police used batons and tear gas to control the mob.
The citizenship law facilitates Indian citizenship for non-Muslims from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who entered India before 2015.