The Congress on Sunday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to immediately call a meeting of the National Integration Council to discuss the explosive situation created by the government’s bluster on the amended citizenship law and the NRC, firmly rejecting his accusation that the Opposition was responsible for the eruption.
Reacting to the Prime Minister’s speech at the Ramlila Maidan, Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said: “The Opposition didn’t bring this issue out of a vacuum. We had repeatedly warned the government against this disruptive move; we articulated our concerns in Parliament and told them that the nation will not tolerate this assault on the soul of the Constitution.”
Congress leaders saw in the Prime Minister’s assertion that there were no discussions to enforce the NRC (National Register of Citizens) across the country a panic reaction as he had completely miscalculated the extent and nature of repercussions to the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
“There is a context to the controversy. Home minister Amit Shah’s statement in both Houses of Parliament are in the public domain,” Sharma said as the Congress posted several videos of Shah unambiguously declaring the plan to implement the NRC and clarifying the link with the CAA.
Asked about Modi’s charge that the Congress was spreading falsehood and speaking lies on the issue, Sharma said: “The Prime Minister should speak with responsibility. It is the right and duty of the Congress to raise the concerns of the people and point out that the government has created an atmosphere of insecurity in the country.
“We had cautioned the government in Parliament that this would not be tolerated by the people. There should be no politicking on basic issues like citizenship. And it is not the Congress or the other Opposition parties that have threatened to extend the NRC to the entire country. It is the government that did it.”
Sharma added: “Students who are protesting don’t belong to any foreign country. They are also patriots and have every right to protest if the Constitution comes under attack. Who is responsible for the eruption in the Northeast?
“The BJP is in government in Assam and there was peace for so long in the state. Who disturbed the peace? The Prime Minister should have provided a healing touch; students from not only Jamia and AMU have come out, thousands of others from IITs, IIMs and other reputed institutions see this as an attack on the basic structure of the Constitution.”
Another spokesperson, Manish Tewari, tweeted: “The Prime Minister is saying no NRC. Why did they then commit it in their manifesto? Why did Amit Shah say there would be a national NRC? The Prime Minister’s speech is nothing but an exercise in sophistry. The countrywide protests have thrown them off.”
The chief ministers of Congress-ruled states as well as friendly parties like the BJD in Odisha and the JDU in Bihar have refused to implement the NRC, bringing the Centre under abnormal pressure.
Even Maharashtra is unlikely to toe the Centre’s line. The Jharkhand election results on Monday will make it clear whether the state would heed Modi’s call or not.
The Prime Minister might have tried to wriggle out of this difficult situation by describing the NRC fears as baseless without actually announcing a rollback.
The Congress, however, is not ready to allow this escape route and wants a formal commitment. That’s why the demand for a National Integration Council meeting where the chief ministers can haul up the Centre for creating this mess.
The agitation is not going to end after the Prime Minister’s vague assurances. While activists dismissed Modi’s claims as “lies” — social media is flooded with negative reactions — the Congress is continuing its plan to build a parallel movement, with Rahul Gandhi leading a sit-in at Rajghat on Monday.
Reports of brutal use of force in Uttar Pradesh have aggravated concerns and bitterness. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra rushed to the state to meet the families of police violence.
Rahul too demonstrated his aggressive intent by appealing to the youths not to give up. He said in two tweets: “Dear Youth of India, Modi & Shah have destroyed your future. They can’t face your anger over the lack of jobs & damage they’ve done to the economy. That’s why they are dividing our beloved & hiding behind hate. We can only defeat them by responding with love towards every Indian.
“Dear Students of India, No Indian student should allow Modi-Shah to divide India the way they are doing. Students of India, you are the future of India and India is your future. Let’s stand together and fight their hate.”