CAA will won’t be rolled back, India is “not ruled by Rajiv Feroze Khan”: Verma
NEW DELHI : Facing a 96-hour ban by the Election Commission for communally divisive remarks, BJP MP Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma on Monday again raised the pitch in the Lok Sabha calling the ongoing Shaheen Bagh protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) “anti-national”, and declared that the law will not be rolled back as it is not Rajiv Feroze Khan’s government.
“Shaheen Bagh protest against the CAA is anti-national because they are demanding the separation of Assam and Jammu and Kashmir from India. They want Jinnah’s azadi… This is not Rajiv Feroze Khan’s government. This is Narendra Modi’s government… The CAA will not be rolled back,” he said amid an outcry by opposition leaders in parliament today.
The West Delhi MP made the reference to “Rajiv Feroze Khan” in an attempt to portray former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s father as a Muslim called Feroze Khan. Indira Gandhi had actually married Feroze Gandhi, a journalist of Parsi-Zoroastrian descent.
The west Delhi Law maker also accused the Congress of indulging in “uncounted corruptions” and practicing “vote bank politics” while initiating the motion of thanks on President Ram Nath Kovind’s address as the BJP star speaker.
Verma, the son of late Delhi chief minister Sahib Singh Verma, is among several BJP leaders who have sought to make the anti-CAA Shaheen Bagh protest the central plank of the February 8 assembly elections.
Citing former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s statements, Verma said even they had supported granting citizenship to Hindus who were persecuted in Bangladesh.
He said the original copy of the Constitution contained images of Lord Ram, Lord Krishna and Lord Hanuman. “A grand Ram Temple will be constructed at Ayodhya. Say ‘Jai Shri Ram’. All your sins will be washed away. I urge opposition members to say Jai Shri Ram. Jai Shri Ram is not religion, it is a symbol of our culture.”
Hitting out at the opposition for raising doubts over the surgical strikes, Verma said the opposition leaders should prepare a questionnaire and be ready to board the plane when the Indian forces plan the next such strike.
Praising the Modi government’s set timelines for each work and efforts in solving pending problems with determination, the MP accused the opposition members of not respecting the mandate of the people who chose Modi by giving 303 seats.
Asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be re-elected in 2024, Verma said people gave him the full mandate even after the opposition called him “Maut ka saudagar” (merchant of death) and used derogatory words against him.
Parvesh Verma, who was chosen to deliver the motion of thanks to the President much to the displeasure of opposition leaders, also accused the Congress of corruption and practising “vote bank politics”.
He had told supporters a few days ago that those leading the peaceful protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act will “enter your houses, rape your sisters and daughters”. The Election Commission had responded by slapping a 96-hour ban on him.
Junior Finance Minister Anurag Thakur and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have also faced criticism over statements made ahead of the Delhi elections. Anurag Thakur was heard urging a crowd to chant “shoot the traitors” in reference to protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act at a rally last week.
Yogi Adityanath had kicked off his election campaign in Delhi a few days ago by saying that “if protesters do not understand with talks, they will be made to understand with bullets”.
(With Agency Report).
