Union minister and BJP leader Anurag Thakur on Monday alleged a conspiracy behind opposition to the new citizenship law, which he said was aimed at "tarnishing" the image of India.
Addressing a programme of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) in the Chhattisgarh capital, the minister accused the Congress of doing politics of vote bank and appeasement.
"Minorities in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh were being tortured and therefore, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act was enacted to grant Indian citizenship to them. Earlier, the Congress had also said that minorities of these countries will be given citizenship of India. But the Congress says something and does something,” he said.
“They did not grant citizenship but only did the politics of vote bank and appeasement.”Anurag Thakur, MoS for Finance
The BJP leader further alleged that a section of the media "misled" people, apparently on the CAA, and did not allow the truth to come to the fore.
He accused the Congress and Opposition parties of "adding fuel to fire and spoiling the atmosphere of the country".
"Why there is protest when the new law was actually enacted to grant citizenship and not to snatch it? Some people have hatched a conspiracy to tarnish the image of the country," he said.
Thakur further said that people of all religions are equal and that India belongs to all.
"But it is the Opposition which has spread fear and tried to divide the country," he said.
Thakur said the Congress had earlier introduced the National Population Register (NPR), but is now opposing the same only because it was brought by the BJP.
"The NRC was implemented in Assam by the then government of Rajiv Gandhi. It seems the Congress has forgotten former Prime Ministers Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Rajiv Gandhi," he said.
Thakur also appealed to the BJP's youth wing leaders and workers to clear apprehensions among people about the CAA, NRC (National Register of Citizens) and National Population Register (NPR).
"It is our responsibility to ensure India's victory under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji and make India a five trillion economy," he added.
Targetting the ruling Congress in Chhattisgarh over recent raids conducted by Income Tax department on the premises of some state officials, Thakur said, "the government officials and businessmen were raided but its heat is being felt elsewhere. I am not able to understand how the government would face a crisis situation when the action was taken against corrupt officials".
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