BJP Using CAB & NRC to Polarize Society on Religious Lines: Congress' Jairam Ramesh

Guwahati, November 6, 2019:

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the BJP party of using the Citizen (Amendment) Bill and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to divide society along communal lines.

Ramesh said that the Congress party will stand against the Government's bid to enact the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, and alleged that BJP is tearing society apart by enacting this Bill. "The NRC has a special historical context and Assam was the only state to formulate the NRC, and later in 1985, the NRC was a major demand of the Assam Accord between the Congress party and the leaders of Assam".

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Amit Shah does not speak about the NRC in Assam anymore, but he speaks about it in other states such as Haryana, Maharastra, etc. Ramesh also alleged that the BJP's claims before the NRC have been proven false, which is why the BJP has gone mum about it in Assam. "They (the BJP) are using it to divide society", Ramesh warned.

Moreover, Mr Ramesh launched into a tirade against the ruling BJP party for allegedly 'privatizing' the public sector, and vowed to oppose it. "Mr Modi has now started selling off the public sector to his friends", he said, adding that six airports, including the Guwahati airport, have been sold to the Adani Group, with many more on the way. "Numaligarh refinery that is part of the Assam Accord, is being privatized...we will oppose this", he said.

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