Did you know Manmohan demanded CAA? BJP tweets video

As the country seethes under mounting pressure from anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act public protests, the BJP has thrown the ball back into the Congress' court by claiming that former prime minister and Congress leader Manmohan Singh had endorsed a liberal citizenship law 16 years ago.

The BJP on Thursday tweeted a video from a Rajya Sabha session dating back to 2003 where Singh can be heard making an earnest plea for a lenient Citizenship Act.

'In 2003, speaking in Rajya Sabha, Dr Manmohan Singh, then Leader of Opposition, asked for a liberal approach to granting citizenship to minorities, who are facing persecution, in neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh and Pakistan. Citizenship Amendment Act does just that...' said the BJP tweet.

Singh can be heard saying, "I would like to point out that with regard to the treatment of refugees, after the partition of our countries, the minorities in countries like Bangladesh, have faced persecution, and it is our moral obligation that if circumstances force these unfortunate people to seek refuge in our country, our approach to granting citizenship to these unfortunate persons should be liberal."

"I sincerely hope that honourable Deputy Prime Minister will bear this in mind in charting out the future course of action with regard to the Citizenship Act," Singh added.