Days after the deadly terror attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama, BJP president Amit Shah on Sunday sought to compare his party with the Congress on security issues, saying the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance would never let Assam become another Kashmir, if voted back to power.
His remark was in reference to the update of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam and the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. From the BJP’s point of view, both are meant for keeping Muslims of Bangladeshi origin out of the State historically allergic to migrants.
Homage to jawans
At a BJP youth rally at North Lakhimpur, Mr. Shah said the sacrifice of Maneswar Basumatari of Assam and other CRPF jawans killed in Pulwama on February 14 would not go in vain.
“The Pakistan-backed terrorists will not be spared for the cowardly act. The sacrifice of the soldiers will not go in vain because this is the BJP government at the Centre, not the Congress government. The Narendra Modi government will not compromise on any security issue,” he said.
Mr. Shah said the NDA government started the NRC update in order that Assam might not become “another Kashmir”, a term the party has been using to mean a demographic change by migrant Muslims.
Mr. Shah said his party would bring the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill back if it returned to power. Despite the widespread protests in Assam and other north-eastern States, the BJP felt the Bill was necessary to prevent Assam from becoming a Muslim-majority State like Kashmir, he said.
