Dumka (Jharkhand): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accused the Congress and its allies of raising a storm over citizenship law, asserting that the opposition parties were fuelling unrest and arson over the issue in several parts of the country. Without mentioning any community, Modi said those 'fanning the fire' could be identified by their clothes.
"People who are setting fire (to property) can be seen on TV... They can be identified by the clothes they are wearing," he said during an election rally here. The prime minister claimed that opposition was providing tacit support to the violent protests that erupted in the Northeast and West Bengal over the amended Act.
"The Congress and its allies are stoking fire over the Citizenship Act, but people of Northeast have rejected violence. Actions of the Congress prove that all decisions taken in Parliament are correct," he said.
Condemning the overseas protests by the grand old party, he said, "For the first time, the Congress did what Pakistanis has been doing for long."
A large number of people had gathered outside the Indian High Commission in London on Saturday to protest against the amended Act and what they branded as Modi government's "failures".
"You will be surprised at the events that had unfolded near the Indian Embassy in London after the verdict was announced on Ram Janmabhoomi and the abrogation of Article 370. People from Pakistan, those settled in London, had staged demonstrations outside our embassy," he said.
"Did any Indian stage demonstration near the Embassy? If there is any issue, a person goes to the Embassy, meets the officials, who then send the documents to the central government," Modi explained.
Efforts were being made to tarnish the country's image, the PM noted. "The country is watching; people's faith has been cemented in Modi after the Bill was cleared by Parliament. Their (Opposition) actions reflect that the decision to pass Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in Parliament is 1000 per cent correct," the prime minister said.
Protests have been raging across the entire Northeast region and West Bengal over the amended Citizenship Act, as people fear that it might exacerbate the problem of illegal immigration. Muslims across the country have joined the agitation, apprehending that the move could be a precursor to country-wide implementation of NRC.