Congress using students for political gains: UP min

Uttar Pradesh Power Minister Srikant Sharma on Sunday attacked the Congress for misleading students over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and using them to gain political advantage.

Massive protests were witnessed against the CAA, mainly by the student community, since its passage by Parliament in December last year.

"Congress is playing with the future of students and creating confusion over CAA," Sharma said while talking to reporters prior to addressing a rally organised by the BJP here in support of the amended Citizenship law here.

"Congress is in a state of despondence and may not have a future but the students of this country have a bright future," he added.

Stressing that the BJP will expose the hidden agenda of the Congress as well as the Left, Sharma said the protests should not spoil the congenial environment of the country's educational institutions.

If the Congress is opposed to the CAA, it should hold a press conference and announce that it will not let persecuted minorities get Indian citizenship but would let illegal immigrants enter the country.

Sharma said it is the moral responsibility of the Union government to give citizenship rights to minorities including Hindus who have been discriminated against in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan due their religion.

The common man is in favour of CAA, he claimed.

Addressing the rally at a local ground here, Sharma said Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was spending sleepless nights, fearing that India may take control of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Army Chief Gen M M Naravane had on Saturday said his force can take control of PoK if it gets orders from political authority, in what is seen as a strong message to Islamabad.