Pinarayi Vijayan recollects PM Modi's 'demonetisation' claim over NRC assurance

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan called out the Prime Minister's "hollow" assurance over the National Register of Citizens (NRC) amid nation-wide protests. Moreover, said that the claim made by PM Modi was 'contradicted' by Home Minister Amit Shah.  In his attack, Pinarayi Vijayan reminded PM Modi's "give me 50 days" claim after introducing demonetisation to end 'counterfeits, black money, and terrorism.' 

Pinarayi Vijayan said, "The assurance of Prime Minister on NRC sounds hollow because HM Mr. Shah contradicts this very claim. It is worth recollecting the claims made during the time of demonetization; "give me 50 days", ending counterfeits, black money, terrorism etc. Well, we all know what happened." [sic]

Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday took a dig at PM Modi's comments defending the Citizenship Amendment Act that caste and religion were not criteria for the Centre's schemes, saying emotional outbursts were not enough and that the latter needs to prove his words with deeds. "When people ask questions about wrong decisions and communal approaches, he should have provided objective answers instead of emotional outbursts," the Kerala chief minister said. He asked why the saffron party and its leadership were trying to be silent on what Amit Shah had said about the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

READ| Prove your words with deeds, Kerala CM tells Narendra Modi

PM Modi's 'contradiction'

On Sunday, kickstarting the Delhi election campaign from Ramlila Maidan, PM Modi asserted that the BJP has "never" discussed NRC since coming to power in 2014. He said, "Since my government first came to power in 2014, I want to tell 130 crore countrymen,  there has never been a discussion on this NRC," he said, noting that it was done only in Assam due to a Supreme Court order.

Targeting the Congress, AAP, TMC and the Left, he said India had an opportunity to expose Pakistan's discrimination against minorities but it was lost due to their politics and accused these parties of working to "defame" India globally. "These leaders changed their stand and all their love and sympathy for these refugees vanished," PM Modi added.  Several Union ministers, including Home Minister Amit Shah, have often pitched for a nationwide NRC exercise, with Amit Shah telling Parliament in the winter session that it will be carried out across the country. 

READ| Union Minister: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan is "playing to the gallery"

The government has, however, issued no communication about it.  He also hit out at the chief ministers who have claimed that they will not implement the amended citizenship law in their states, saying they should have first consulted their legal officers. The central government has maintained that the Constitution makes it binding on states to implement the law passed by Parliament. Several protesters in states like Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Assam have died in alleged police firing. Modi asked his rivals to burn his effigy and thrash it with shoes if they so wish, but they should not target assets and properties of others.

(with PTI inputs)