ANKARA
India has been gripped by massive protests ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government passed a new citizenship law.
Muslims feel dejected as the law excludes migrant Muslims from obtaining citizenship in the country. However, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claims that it has merely fulfilled a promise made to minorities living in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
In a phone interview with Anadolu Agency from New Delhi, BJP spokesman Sudesh Verma revealed that some people have been deported to Bangladesh from Assam.
Q: How does the BJP see the protests against the new citizenship law?
Sudesh Verma (SV): We believe that there are political motives behind the anti-CAA (citizenship amendment act) protests to defame the Narendra Modi government.
For many years, they were trying it -- the people who we call “Lutyens Delhi, Urban Naxals, Tukde gang.” They are not happy because Narendra Modi is prime minister, and now they have got a chance to mislead people. They use the innocent Muslims to do their politics.
(BJP spokespesman Sudesh Verma)
The Citizenship Amendment Bill was presented in parliament, where it was debated by all parties. All questions raised against the bill were answered by our Home Minister, Amit Shah. And afterward, it became law when it was passed by both houses of parliament.
And after such an intense debate inside parliament, a new act was implemented, but they [opposition] could not do anything as many parties supported us [BJP]. But outside parliament, they provoked and misled people to oppose the CAA. This is dishonesty and political opportunism by [the main opposition Indian National] Congress and the Left.
It was India’s constitution makers who had promised that if these minorities faced any such problem in these countries, India would never close its doors on them. Jawaharlal Nehru, M.K. Gandhi, B.R. Ambedkar had said it. The BJP has just fulfilled that promise. There is no issue of Muslims in this.
But the opposition has used the issue of Muslims and it is sad that people did not understand it. Protests have turned into riots, which should not have happened.
Q: The protesters are asking a simple question: why have Muslims been excluded from this act?
SV: Partition is a context of this issue. Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan are Islamic countries. Muslims are not facing any issues there. There may be problems of ethnicity, but not religious ones.
This act is not Hindu-centric. This has a context and is a reasonable decision.
Dr. Manmohan Singh and many other Congress leaders had even proposed to do something for Hindus of Bangladesh. We have only done that. To present it as anti-Muslim is not justified. People seem only interested in politics.
Q: People have started raising questions over the secularism claims of India after this act.
SV: There is no question. India is a republic and a democracy. The decision has been taken by the parliament of India.
Even before this, migrants have come from Sri Lanka, Uganda who have been given citizenship. But no one made any issues.
If we talk on reason, argument, people have started understanding it. But people are exploiting it on the basis of politics.
Now they have brought up another issue -- that it [new act] is linked to the NRC [National Register of Citizens]. If mobocracy dominates democracy, then parliament will not be able to take any decision.
We [India] are the second largest population in the world. People need to think whether they want to strengthen democracy or spread chaos.
Q: Why have Tamil refugees been excluded from this new act?
SV: Sri Lanka has solved its crises. There is no issue now, and many have returned home. But some people can be given citizenship. Even some migrant Muslims have been granted citizenship in last some years. There has to be some basis for citizenship, and what is a bigger basis than persecution?
Q: Now, the National Population Register (NPR) is being linked to NRC?
SV: The NPR was done in 2010. Congress had brought it in 2004. Now it is being updated again.
Governments run in continuation. Nothing comes out of the blue. Governments make policies and decisions which depend on the number of people.
It is not good for the country to create issues out of everything.
It is our [BJP] promise that we will not -- mark my words -- take any step due to which Muslims of India will suffer. The Muslims of India are safe. They are in a democratic setup and their situation is better than many other countries and because of which many Muslims are proud.
But there are people who are not happy if India is becoming stronger, but we are trying to make people understand.
Q: Doesn’t the CAA violate the Assam accord?
SV: The Assam accord of 1985 was signed by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi with the Assam Students Association which called for the identification and deportation of illegal immigrants.
And soon after that accord, a detention camp was constructed by the then Congress government. And a National Register [of Citizenship] was formed in Assam which is being done under the supervision of the Supreme Court and is completely different.
There is no chance of mixing the two. We are tackling Assam in a different way. They have an issue which is genuine.
And even if we take a decision, we will do it in public, not stealthily.
But because people have to do politics, they are linking the CAA with the NRC. The NRC has not come yet. How can we do so?
The concentration camps in Assam were set up by the Congress so that they could detain people and deport them. Some people [migrants], but very less in number, have [already] been deported to Bangladesh.
