'Govt focusing on NRC to divert attention from economy'

The CPM on Thursday said the government was focusing on the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the issue of "foreigners" to divert attention of people from the state of the economy.

In the latest editorial on its mouthpiece People's Democracy, the party called the government "hindutva rulers" and said it was trying to create a communal division.

"At a time when the economy is plunging into a recession with growing loss of jobs, lack of purchasing power among the people and mass deprivation, the Hindutva rulers need to find enemies within and without the country continuously," the CPM said.

It alleged that while on one hand the government claimed that the NRC process will eliminate all those who are "Muslim infiltrators" from Bangladesh, it also held out an assurance that by amending the Citizenship Act, Hindu migrants and refugees will be given citizenship.

"Before the NPR process begins in April next year, the Modi government will bring in the amendment to the Citizenship Act, whereby religious minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan such as Hindus, Christians, Buddhists and Sikhs who have come into the country illegally will become eligible for citizenship within a specified period of time. The amendment specifically excludes Muslims from this category," it said.

The editorial also alleged that the government was raising one divisive issue after another under the cloak of national security and raising the bogey of "foreigners".

"This serves a dual purpose - it helps to create an atmosphere of insecurity and fear in the country from threats and secondly, it is useful to divert the people's attention from the steadily deteriorating economic conditions and the problems that they face due to it," the party added.