Attacking Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his remarks on the National Register of Citizens , BJP leader Prakash Javadekar said the people understand that the exercise is very important as no country can allow illegal infiltrators to stay and asserted that his party will repeat the success of Lok Sabha polls in the upcoming Delhi Assembly poll.
Last month, Mr. Kejriwal had said if the NRC is implemented in Delhi, it is the BJP city unit president Manoj Tiwari who will have to leave the city first. This drew sharp reaction from the BJP.
“Only Mr. Kejriwal has confusion over NRC. This is the understanding of the Delhi Chief Minister. But it is not what people understand, they know that no country allows illegal infiltrators to stay. Therefore, the NRC is very much important,” Mr. Javadekar said, adding Union Home Minister Amit Shah has already made it clear that the Citizenship Amendment Bill will be passed.
The Bill seeks to amend a 1955 law to grant citizenship to Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis and Christians from the Muslim-majority nations of Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan if they have lived in India for six years.
It had been passed by the previous Lok Sabha but was not tabled in Rajya Sabha. The bill lapsed after the term of the previous Lok Sabha ended in May but was not introduced in the Budget Session in July.
Mr. Javadekar alleged the AAP’s strategy revolves around lies and taking credit for others work, and said the BJP will get a “huge mandate” in Delhi Assembly elections due next year.
After its resounding victory in May 2014 in all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, the BJP could not repeat it in the Assembly polls and got just three seats out of 70. This time BJP will be repeating its 2019 Lok Sabha polls performance in the State assembly elections, the Union Minister said.
Related to poll strategy
Asked whether the BJP will name its chief ministerial candidate in Delhi, he said the party has not declared any face yet and that it is a matter related to poll strategy.
“It’s State-specific. We have announced in Maharashtra and Haryana. So, somewhere we announce, somewhere we do not announce. It is not because they [Devendra Fadnavis and M.L. Khattar] are incumbent but because it is strategy. Strategy should not be confused with policy,” he added.
Party gearing up
Responding to a question on whether there will be any change in the Delhi unit leadership before the polls, Mr. Javadekar said the focus of the party is to win the Assembly election and it is preparing for it.
