Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi Tushar Gandhi at Mani Bhavan, the home of Mahatma Gandhi, in Mumbai.
Credit: PTI Photo
Kolkata: Senior BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi feels Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is the biggest liability of the opposition bloc and warned that several opposition parties could risk losing recognition from the Election Commission after defeat at the hands of the Narendra Modi-led BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
The former Union minority affairs minister tried to dispel fears revolving around the implementation of CAA by saying, "Not a single Indian citizen, including Muslims, would be affected by the new legislation" and accused the opposition of trying to create communal conflict and confusion across the country.
In an interview to PTI, Naqvi predicted a decisive victory for the BJP government for a third consecutive term, citing a widespread loss of faith among the populace in opposition parties, particularly the Congress.
He criticised opposition bloc I.N.D.I.A., saying it lacks coherent leadership and policies, with internal conflicts and ambitions hindering its effectiveness.
"I.N.D.I.A. bloc is a challenge for their allies and not the BJP. There is a lot of conflict and confusion among them as there is neither any leadership nor any clear policy. Everybody has prime ministerial ambition. People don't want a remote-controlled government by the Congress, which is the biggest ally. It has no visibility on the ground," he said.
Regarding the leadership crisis within the opposition, Naqvi singled out Rahul Gandhi as a liability for the I.N.D.I.A. bloc, suggesting that the opposition's frustration is evident in their rhetoric.
He said, "Rahul Gandhi is a liability of the opposition bloc I.N.D.I.A. Now, their depression over imminent defeat is visible through their abuses which reflect their frustration. I.N.D.I.A. bloc in no way is a challenge to the BJP."
Naqvi suggested that post-election, several political parties may struggle to maintain their recognition due to low vote counts.
He said, "The mood of the nation is very clear that they will defeat those political parties which are creating hurdles in the path of good governance."
"Several political parties after the Lok Sabha polls will make rounds to the Election Commission to protect their recognition (as the votes garnered will be so less than the prescribed norms for having recognition)," he added.
Mocking the opposition bloc over its allies such as JD(U) and RLD deserting it, Naqvi said the Congress wants to rule by the "virtue of dynasty, deputation (whom they will decide) and dictation (who will work as per their whims)."
"And whichever coalition has not acted as per their dictation such as Chandra Sekhar or Chaudhury Charan Singh or H D Deve Gowda government, the Congress has ensured the fall of that government," he said.
The former minister dismissed the opposition's concerns about the CAA and the speculated National Register of Citizens (NRC) implementation as fear-mongering tactics aimed at stirring communal tensions for political gain.
Hitting out at the opposition for trying to create "communal confusion" in the country over their false propaganda over CAA, Naqvi claimed, "Every section of minorities including the Muslims is safe and secure in India. The CAA is not about omitting or taking away anybody's citizenship. It is about giving persecuted religious minorities from neighbouring countries citizenship."
"It is a conspiracy for creating communal confusion by merchants of lies (opposition) at the merit of truth," he said.
As per the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), rules of which were notified on Monday, the government will now start granting Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants -- Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians -- from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who arrived in India before December 31, 2014.
Refuting speculations over NRC that it is going to be a possible follow-up, which had triggered fear among the minorities, Naqvi said such fears are unwarranted.
"The opposition is creating fear psychosis based on speculations that after CAA, NRC will be implemented. The opposition presuming that NRC will also be brought in is trying to create communal conflict to pursue vote bank politics," he said.
Naqvi said the Muslim community has realised the development work the BJP government has ushered in the last 10 years.
"Muslims have realised that PM Modi has not discriminated against them in terms of development. Before 2014, a communal campaign was run against Modi that the Muslims would be in danger if he came to power. Now the Muslims, too, have realised that those were completely false," he said.
Naqvi said maintaining communal harmony in the country is one of the biggest achievements of the Modi government as the "secular commitments of the BJP as per the constitution are much higher than the previous Congress government."
Lambasting the Congress, the communists and the Trinamool Congress, he said Modi's "mathematics of inclusive work has spoiled the chemistry of the feudal families".
"We have delivered development with dignity and empowerment without appeasement. In today's date, Modi's secular commitment as per the constitution is much higher than that of former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi," he said.
Alleging that the country witnessed an "era of policy paralysis" during the successive Congress governments, Naqvi said Modi has destroyed "corruption and dynastic politics and has delivered a new era of development."
By destroying the "custom of corruption and dynastic politics", Modi has become a global brand of "perform, reform and transform through his commitment to good governance and inclusive empowerment," Naqvi said.
"The mood of the nation is that the BJP government led by Narendra Modi is going to return to power for the third consecutive term. Be it welfare policies, national security, and good governance, the Modi government has set new records in every sector. Now terrorist attacks every month in parts of the country are a thing of the past," he said.