CPM alleges BJP of twisting facts

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 18

The CPM on Wednesday alleged that the BJP deliberately twisted facts to make out a case that it (CPM) had earlier batted for a law to give citizenship to the Bengali refugees from East Pakistan and later Bangladesh to justify its own misadventure of enacting the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).

In a communique, the CPI-M said: “It had always wanted Bengali minority refugees from erstwhile East Pakistan and later Bangladesh to be given citizenship”.

“But the CAA does so on the basis of religious identity and by excluding Muslim migrants. At no time had the CPM demanded the exclusion of Muslim migrants from being considered for citizenship,” the CPM said.

Also, the CPM’s consistent stand has been that the Assam Accord should be protected when giving citizenship to the refugees was considered.

It further said the Accord put 1971 as the cutoff limit for Assam, but the CAA violates it. That is another reason why the CPI(M) opposed the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in Parliament.