BJP accuses Congress of duplicity, politics of expediency over CAA

The BJP on Friday accused the Congress of "duplicity" and "politics of expediency" over Citizenship Amendment Act, alleging that it was ..changing tack from the remarks made by its leaders in favour of giving citizenship to minorities from Pakistan.

Addressing a press conference here, party spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said Congress had in the last Rajasthan assembly polls manifesto promised all-round development of people who have been displaced from Pakistan.

"In other words, its reference is to refugees from Pakistan. Congress has promised all-round development which includes giving them citizenship rights and rehabilitation of those families. When the Congress has clearly stated that they are promising citizenship for the displaced and for the refugees, on what basis is the Congress party opposing today," Rao asked.

"Congress says something when it is in power but when it does not suit it, it really puts up a completely different face. The multi-headed Congress party is like a multi-headed hydra and it is actually working against national interest by changing its positions so frequently," he added.

He said Congress leaders including Jawaharlal Nehru and Manmohan Singh had "favoured giving citizenship" to minorities, mainly Hindus and Sikhs, from Pakistan and Bangladesh.

"The utter shamelessness of Congress in adopting politics of duplicity and politics of expediency is something we are going to expose now," he said.

The BJP leader said that in 2004 when the NDA government was in power, rules were framed to give citizenship to the Hindu minorities from Pakistan coming to the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat for one year.

"In February (2004), this was given for a period of one year. In 2005 and 2006, Congress extended this facility and the relief came by way of gazette notification," he said.

"We would like to ask the Congress party, how can you change your position...seek apology from the people of India and say we made a blunder, we only gave it to Hindus from Rajasthan, we are an anti-Hindu party, we made a blunder in the past, therefore, we accept our mistake -- say that," he said.

He accused Congress party of indulging in politics of convenience over the issue.