To woo West Pakistan refugees, PM promises citizenship

Tribune Reporters

Kathua, April 14

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday reiterated commitment of the BJP to implement the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill to give rights to religious minorities displaced from Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The Prime Minister made this announcement while addressing a public meeting at Kathua in support of party candidate Jitendra Singh. As refugees from West Pakistan are deciding factor in the prestigious seat, Modi assured to grant citizenship rights to the displaced persons, a majority of whom belong to the the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and other backward classes (OBCs).

“After May 23, when the BJP retains power, the Bill will be introduced to grant citizenship rights to those who have come here from Pakistan during the Partition,” he said.

Victim of the 1947 holocaust, over 90 per cent of West Pakistan refugees are struggling to get constitutional and fundamental rights.

In the 2014 parliamentary and Assembly elections also, the BJP had promised to grant citizenship to the refugees. It was first time in the political history of J&K that SCs and OBCs had voted in the favour of the BJP in the Jammu region and the party had won all seven Assembly seats reserved for the SCs due to the support of the weaker sections.

The refugees are a deciding factor in the Udhampur-Doda seat, especially in the plains of Kathua district, hence the BJP is making efforts to placate the annoyed refugees.

Modi also used the plight of displaced of Kashmiri Pandits to corner the Congress. “It was all due to the policies of the Congress that Kashmiri Pandits had to flee from the Valley. Can the Congress give justice to Kashmiri Pandits? Can it give justice to 1984 riots victims? Congress' NYAY scheme is a big sham. I’m committed to an honourable return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits”, he said.