Congress behind unrest over citizenship law: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday came down heavily on the Congress and other Opposition parties for stoking the fire and indulging in arson during protests against citizenship law.

Addressing a BJP rally at Dumka in Jharkhand, Modi said that those who are seen on TV channels setting bus on fire or indulging in arson, while protesting against citizenship law, can be identified through their clothes. “Inke kapde se pehchaan ho jaati hai (Such people can be identified through their clothes),” said Modi, in a blistering attack on the Congress.

“This is the first time in the history that Congress is, these days, doing what Pakistan used to do earlier: Protest in front of Indian Embassy. It’s a matter of shame that when they could not succeed in stalling citizenship law in Parliament, these people (Congress leaders) are demonstrating in front of Indian embassies,” said Modi, while addressing locals in tribal-dominated Dumka.

The prime minister was referring to protests launched by Indian Overseas Congress on December 14 outside the Indian embassies across the world to highlight problems of job loss, economic slowdown, growing unemployment, and farm distress.

Modi on Sunday was campaigning for the BJP candidate Louis Marandi, the party legislator from Dumka, who trounced Hemant Soren, the then chief minister of Jharkhand, during 2014 Assembly polls. Louis is presently a Cabinet minister in Jharkhand’s Raghubar Das government. She is again pitted against JMM working president Soren in a straight contest. Voting in Dumka will take place on December 20, the fifth and last phase of polling.

“Congress and JMM have just one quality. They know how to protect and promote their respective families. They ruled the Centre as well as state (undivided Bihar and Jharkhand) but never cared for you, precisely because they don’t have any roadmap for Jharkhand’s development. All they have done is to build palaces for themselves. On the other hand, it’s the BJP which has given Jharkhand a stable government which has now completed its full five-year term (2014-19) under the leadership of Raghubar Das,” said Modi.

“These Congress leaders know one more thing: abuse Modi… From abusing Modi, they are now indulging in anti-national work by stoking fire over citizenship law. The Congress actions prove that the decisions we took in Parliament were 1,000 % correct,” said Modi, amid loud cheers from BJP supporters.