CAA-NRC part of BJP's vote bank politics: Gujarat BSP coordinator Dharmveer Ashok

The Bahujan Samaj Party held an anti-Citizenship Amendment Act rally in Ahmedabad in Gujarat on Friday and called the legislation a ploy by the ruling BJP to increase its vote bank.

Gujarat BSP coordinator Dharmveer Ashok said CAA and the National Register of Citizens exercise were aimed at providing citizenship to "outsiders" so that the Narendra Modi government could continue to remain in power.

"For thousands of years, outsiders ruled us and ensured that we remain weak... Now, the BJP wants to confer citizenship to outsiders through CAA and NRC. These people (BJP) want to destroy the Constitution to remain in power," he said.

He said the BJP was going ahead with such divisive moves as it is aware the "weaker sections cannot raise their voice against them".

"Thus, we need to resolve to become politically strong and remove the BJP government. If we come to power, there will be no CAA or NRC," Ashok, a former Uttar Pradesh minister under the chief ministership of Mayawati, said.

Later, a delegation led by Gujarat BSP chief Ashok Chavda submitted a memorandum against CAA and NRC at the district collectorate.

In the memorandum, the party sough compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the kin of a Dalit girl killed last month and demanded action against people getting government jobs on fake caste certificates.