BJP to launch info campaign on Citizenship Act

The BJP on Saturday announced a mass contact programme to expose opposition parties' "lies" and apprise people of the details of the amended citizenship law to assure them that it is not against existing citizens.

The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by BJP working president J P Nadda and convened to formulate the party's strategy over the issue amid protests in various parts of the country against the new provision in the Citizenship Act and the proposed creation of a National Register of Citizens.

Party general secretary Bhupender Yadav told reporters that the BJP within the next 10 days will contact more than three crore families, organise a rally in every district and hold over 250 press conferences across the country to inform masses about the new law.

The new law seeks to give citizenship to minorities from three neighbouring countries, who arrived in India before December 2014 due to religious persecution.

He also accused opposition parties, especially the Congress, of spreading misinformation in a bid to disturb peace across the country during recent protests which have claimed several lives.

Yadav said the party will also involve beneficiaries of the amended law in its information campaign about the statute.