Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday alleged that the Opposition is "giving money" for arson and "sponsoring" anti-CAA protests to mislead people.
He said the previous governments didn't have the courage to grant citizenship to persecuted religious minorities from neighbouring countries and now the opposition parties are creating confusion about the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
"The Opposition is giving money for arson and sponsoring sit-ins and agitations against the CAA to mislead people. But the people have stood behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji and against those who speak the language of our enemies," Adityanath said at a rally here in support of the CAA, which was also addressed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Using a term which describes the disrobing of Mahabharata's Draupadi, the chief minister said, "The Opposition is doing 'cheerharan' of the country and we can't sit silently in this situation."
He also lauded the Modi government for enacting the CAA.
"I appreciate the Centre for this move. The previous governments did not have courage to take it up. Now Congress, BSP and SP are creating confusion among the people on the CAA and it's our responsibility to reach out to the people with correct information," he added.
Issues on which work should have been started after 1947 were taken up by the BJP after it got an absolute majority, Adityanath said.
"In the past six months, you (people) may have witnessed many changes. People in the country were disheartened and demoralised that these issues (CAA, Article 370, etc) might not be resolved. But as our election slogan says, 'Modi hai to mumkin hai' (It is possible if Modi is there), all the issues were resolved," he said.
After independence, Congress governments had a chance to work on issues of terrorism, separatism and discrimination but they didn't, the chief minister said, adding that the BJP is dealing with them strictly.
"The Congress did not do anything while other opposition parties, whenever they got a chance, only played politics on crucial issues," he said.
"In Ayodhya, a 'kalank' (blot) of 500 years ended, (Article) 370 was abolished, we brought a law on triple 'talaq' and CAA," he added.
According to the CAA, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014, to escape religious persecution there will not be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian citizenship.
It does not include Muslims.
Those opposing the CAA contend that it discriminates on the basis of religion and violates the Constitution. They also allege that the CAA along with the National Register of Citizens is intended to target the Muslim community in India.
However, the central government has dismissed the allegations, maintaining that the law is intended to give citizenship to the persecuted people from the three neighbouring countries and not to take away anyone's citizenship.
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