New Delhi: Ace political strategist and JD(U) vice-president Prashant Kishor has predicted that the nationwide protests against the amended Citizenship Act and the National Register of Citizens would not have any political implications for the BJP.
Speaking to News18, Kishor said that despite various states coming together to oppose the NRC, there is no nationwide counter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi right now as he credited the mass movement against the CAA and NRC to people. “Weak opposition parties doesn’t mean there is weak opposition citizenry in India,” he said.
Several CMs of opposition-ruled states have declared they would not implement in the Citizenship Act, while even those who voted for the controversial legislation in Parliament have said they were not in favour of an NRC exercise.
So far, nine non-BJP chief ministers have stated categorically that they would not allow the implementation of the CAA or NRC in their states, and on Friday, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar became the tenth overall and the first from the NDA camp to do so.
"Kaahe ka NRC? Bilkul laagu nahin hoga" (NRC, what for? Will not at all be implemented), Kumar quipped as he was asked by journalists to clarify his position.
Known for choosing and timing his words after much deliberation, Kumar came out with his assertion on NRC a day after he had made it clear at a public meeting in Gaya that he would "guarantee" that under his watch the minorities were not treated unfairly.
His averments could be seen as a gesture aimed at assuring elements within the JD(U) headed by him who apprehend the party losing out on its Muslim base after supporting the Citizenship Bill in Parliament.
Among those who had openly opposed the JD(U) stand in Parliament was Kishor. When the JD(U) vice-president was asked by News18 why Kumar supported the controversial legislation, he answered it was “special circumstances”.
“CAA on its own means nothing. But CAA along with NRC is a problem area in India,” he said, as he reiterated his misgivings about the combination of the two that poor people would end up being impacted due to NRC.
Comments
0 comment