Assam leader of the opposition Debabrata Saikia has alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lied regarding the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Prime Minister Modi had said in New Delhi that his government had never discussed anything about the NRC, apart from the register’s update in Assam.
“The Prime Minister of India uttered some shameful white lies while addressing an election rally at New Delhi on December 22….
“Modi has claimed that no discussion has taken place so far regarding a pan-India NRC. What about Union home minister Amit Shah’s assertion both in Parliament and on social media that an all-India NRC will be prepared to drive out all ‘infiltrators’? Shah even mentioned a completion deadline of 2024 for the proposed NRC,” said Saikia.
The leader of opposition further alleged the Prime Minister has made false statements many times in the past as well.
“… falsehood on Modi’s lips is nothing new. The people of Assam have witnessed how he lied about all foreigners having to pack their bag and baggage to leave Assam on the heels of the BJP coming to power in 2016,” Saikia pointed out.
The Congress leader also pointed out Modi’s false promise on implementing the Assam Accord in ‘letter and spirit’; reviving the Nagaon and Cachar paper mills; bringing back all black money stashed abroad and depositing Rs 15 lakh in the bank account of each citizen.
Saikia also accused the Prime Minister of taking “falsehood to an entirely new level” by claiming that there are no detention centres in India.
“Himanta Biswa Sarma has tried to justify Modi’s lie with the help of more lies by claiming at a press conference yesterday that the Central government has had nothing to do with the setting up of detention camps and that such camps have been set up in Assam only on the basis of a High Court directive.
“The concept of setting up detention camps was first mooted in 1998, when the late (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee was the Prime Minister.
The Union Home Ministry issued a letter (No. 25019/3/97-F-III dated July 2, 1998) to all states and Union Territories (UTs), suggesting that such camps should be set up to restrict the movement of foreign nationals awaiting deportation.
He said that three more such directives were issued to all states and UTs, in 2014, 2018 and 2019 during the tenure of the Modi government.
He accused Modi and Shah of trying to subvert reality by blaming the Congress and ‘urban Maoists’ for the protests that have erupted against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).