Two days after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won the Delhi Assembly elections due to a landslide, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday admitted that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders should be “beat the gourd” (shoot them) and the like. Should not have been in the “Indo-Pak” election campaign, admitting that he played a part in the party’s defeat.
“Such statements should not have been made. Our party has distanced itself from such remarks, “Shah, who was the former BJP chief, is considered the party’s chief election strategist,” said a program organized by the Times Now television channel.
“It is possible that our performance will suffer due to this,” he said.
In the highly publicized campaign for the Delhi elections, the BJP made national security one of its main placards and targeted protesters against citizenship (amendment), who have gathered in the Shaheen Bagh area, calling it anti-national.
The AAP won the election with 62 seats in the 70-member state assembly, leaving the BJP stuck in single digits with eight seats, following a campaign on local issues such as education, local care, and cheap electricity and water supply.
In Thursday’s event, Shah said that the BJP does not contest elections only for victory or defeat, but believes in expanding its ideology through elections.
Shah said his assessment of the Delhi elections had gone wrong but claimed that the results of the elections were not reflections on the CAA or the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Strongly defending the CAA, which grants Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslims from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, the Home Minister said that there is no provision in the new law that would divide the citizenship of Indian Muslims…
“We have never discriminated against anyone on the basis of religion. There is no provision in the CAA which states that citizenship of Muslims will be revoked. Do not just criticize CAA, but discuss it on the basis of merits.
The CAA is neither anti-Muslim nor anti-minority. I am ready to meet anyone, but the discussion needs to be on merit. Unfortunately, no one wants to come forward and discuss the CAA, ”he said.
The Union Home Minister said that anyone who wants to discuss issues related to CAA can demand an appointment from his office. “(We) will give time within three days,” he said.
Shah also said that the government has not yet taken a decision on drafting a nationwide NRC, and clarified that the National Population Register (NPR) was reluctant to show its documents during the exercise, which went on from 1 April. Were free to.
Do The objective of NRC is to identify illegal migrants and NPR is a biometric repository of people living in India.
However, Shah said the NRC was a promise made by the BJP in its election manifesto.
When asked about the ongoing movement against the CAA, Shah said that everyone had the right to peaceful protest, but the violence was not justified.
“We tolerate non-violent protest, but barbarism cannot be tolerated. The silent protest is a democratic right, ”he said.
On Jammu and Kashmir, Shah said that everyone, including politicians, is free to visit the newly created union territory whenever they want and there is no restriction on anyone’s movement.
The Union Home Minister said that when asked about the detention of three former chief ministers – Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti under the Public Safety Act, he allowed them to remain under detention for two years without any restriction. Local administration.
Omar Abdullah approached the Supreme Court, saying the judiciary can decide on the move.
