Time to defeat tukde tukde gang: Shah slams Oppn on CAA

Union Home Minister accused the opposition of creating confusion over the Citizenship Amendment Act and misleading people.

Shemin Joy, DHNS, New Delhi,

Dec 26 2019, 14:17 ist
updated: Dec 26 2019, 21:46 ist

Addressing an event organised by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Shah, in an apparent reference to the left leaning intellectuals opposing the amended citizenship law, said it was time to defeat the "tukde tukde" gang.

Accusing the Opposition of misleading people over Citizenship Amendment, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said they were not willing to say against it when it was discussed in Parliament and that it was time to defeat 'tukde-tukde gang' under Congress.

Speaking at an event organised by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) here, Shah said the 'tukde-tukde' gang under the leadership of Congress was responsible for the violence in the national capital and it was time to teach them a lesson.

Follow the CAA protests and developments live

"When the Bill was discussed in Parliament, everything was discussed. But they (Opposition) were not willing to say anything. But the moment when they were out, they started misleading people and spoiled the peaceful atmosphere of Delhi...The tukde-tukde gang under the leadership of Congress is responsible for this," he said.

"It is time to punish them. People of Delhi should punish them," Shah said, as the BJP-led government faced countrywide protests since the passage of CAA, with some turning violent.

Shah's assertion that nobody spoke anything on CAA in Parliament goes against what Opposition did during voting on the Bill in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Opposition parties, including Congress, Trinamool Congress, CPI(M), CPI, BSP and Samajwadi Party, voted against the Bill after raising concerns about excluding Muslims from the ambit of the law.

He also sought to depict the protesters as 'tukde-tukde' (those who divides) gang, which gained currency in the saffron circles during the anti-government protests by students after research scholar Rohith Vemula committed suicide.

On upcoming Delhi Assembly elections, he said he was confident that the BJP would defeat AAP and that it was time up for Arvind Kejriwal government. "The lotus will bloom...Delhi, you gave (us) all seven BJP MPs, now time to give BJP MLAs (a chance) in the next polls for development of the national capital," he said.

He accused the AAP government of obstructing Centre's schemes. "Kejriwal has not implemented the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and Ayushman Bharat. He only wants to put his name on our pet projects," Shah said.