BJP CMs, Union ministers to spread pro-CAA message

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) has stepped up its efforts to counter the opposition’s narrative about the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens that these could potentially target minorities in the country and are discriminatory.

The party has instructed chief ministers of all BJP-ruled states and union ministers to undertake campaigns for challenging the opposition’s narrative. A party functionary said the CMs have been asked to tour extensively in their respective states, spending time of addressing people’s questions about the legislation.

“Union ministers will travel to state capitals to hold press briefings, where they will clarify the aspects of the CAA. These ministers will talk about the accomplishments of the government in the past six months and how welfare activities that were started in 2014 (when the BJP first came to power at the Centre) are being scaled up,” the party functionary said.

On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief JP Nadda met the CMs and deputy CMs at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters. The issue of ongoing protests and opposition to CAA was also discussed, said a person aware of the details. The party is also in the process of finalising slogans and themes around which the latest publicity campaign will be woven. “Tentatively, the slogans will be built around the theme of country first (pehle desh) or how India is leading (agrani bharat),” the person quoted above said.