Oppn parties’ slumber helping Modi take anti-people decisions: Chidambaram

But, a new force comprising students and the youth has emerged, he says

Former Union Finance Minister and Congress leader P. Chidambaram (second left), at a public meeting the party organised in Coimbatore on Saturday.

The Opposition parties’ slumber has helped Prime Minister Narendra Modi take one anti-people decision after another. However, after the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed, the vacuum created by political parties had been filled by a new force – that of students and the youth, former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said here on Saturday at the meeting the Congress had organised to condemn the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

“Throughout India, a force aside from political parties has emerged. It has filled the vacuum created by political parties that have failed to take on the ruling BJP government. Looking at the force, political parties should wake up from their deep slumber. I bow down to the force,” he said.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, the economy was hit hard by the effects of demonetisation and the introduction of GST, export was falling and unemployment was rising. Yet, the BJP was able to return to power.

The confidence that the victory gave Mr. Modi had distracted him from what was to be done or take the right decision – put the economy back on track.

He first took up triple talaq. After the Supreme Court had ruled that triple talaq was illegal, where was the for the BJP to criminalise the action. It was this criminalisation that the Congress was opposed to, Mr. Chidambaram said.

The Prime Minister next attempted to implement the National Register of Citizenship exercise to identify illegal immigrants in Assam. Home Minister Amit Shah had termed the 19.06 lakh-odd immigrants as termites and threatened to throw them out of the country before 2024.

In passing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, the Modi government had undone in 72 hours what the Constitution makers took three months to debate, he said in reference to the time taken to draft Articles 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.

Thinking that the Opposition parties were sleeping, Mr. Modi took the step but he did not foresee the emergence of students and youth as a force against it.

“The Congress is opposing the CAA not for what it says but for what it does not say – that the Muslims have been excluded and will not get citizenship,” Mr. Chidambaram said. The Act was discriminatory, it would not stand the scrutiny of law.

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K.S. Alagiri said the reason for Congress' weakness was that its office-bearers were not talking about the achievements of its leaders and the failure to communicate with the cadre.