Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 12: Castigating Congress for playing extremely negative role in the passage of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in Parliament, J&K BJP general secretary Yudhvir Sethi today said that Congress party in its desperation to remain relevant has gone two steps ahead of Pakistan in opposing Government on the aforesaid issue. Reiterating Union Government’s stance that Congress has instigated violence in several parts of the country over the Bill, he said that despite getting exposed on all fronts the ‘bygone’ party is still not mending its ways and is not leaving any chance to divide people in the name of religion.
Earlier he congratulated Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister. Amit Shah for the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in Parliament and termed it a ‘herculean job’, which according to him no other leader could have accomplished.
Sethi said that all should rise above their political compulsions and welcome the Bill. He said the stand of BJP has always been that a Hindu who comes to India because of persecution in another country cannot be termed as an intruder, but a refugee.
Sethi dubbed it as a “courageous step” and thanked the BJP-led Central Government, the Prime Minister and the Home Minister for taking the courageous initiative.
“When the country was partitioned, there was a demand for division on religious grounds. However, India did not have any such idea of forming a ‘religious country’. But, the country was partitioned over this issue and the leaders then had accepted it,” he said, adding that if partition had not taken place on religious grounds, then many incidents thereafter would not have happened.
“Subsequently, Pakistan and Bangladesh declared themselves as Islamic states and there were doubts then about what place the minorities residing there will get…because as per the agreement, it was said that the minorities will not face any injustice,” said Sethi.
Unfortunately, this did not happen and the Hindus residing there in large numbers “became target of persecution”, he said.
Looking at the census conducted from time-to-time, the number of Hindus residing in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh came down drastically, he said.
“The question arises where these people went, and it comes to fore that many of them came to India,” he said adding that the Hindus persecuted in these countries had no other place to go than India, where they could live a life of respect and security and hence, they kept coming to India.
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