NPR: The Trishul jibe

New Delhi, Dec 27  The bitterness over Citizenship Amendment Act and NPR related controversies was far from over on Friday.Ruling BJP and the opposition Congress, Leftists and Trinamool Congress left nothing to chance to attack each other and the row is bound to spill over into the New Year.

BJP counseled Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to visit Kota in Rajasthan, which is under INC rule, as there have been reports that 77 children have died in a state-run hospital.CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat said the Modi government was using the CAA, the NPR and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) as a "trishul" to attack people.

It is seen as a veiled attack on BJP keeping in line with the opposition charge that CAA and NRC exercise was aimed at targeting Muslims.
West Bengal CM and Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee asserted in Naihati - "As long as I am alive, the CAA will not be implemented in Bengal".
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters here that Rahul Gandhi should stop making unwarranted remarks and instead visit Kota in Rajasthan where children died in a hospital.

"Betuki beyan dena band karen ...," he told reporters here.
"If there is a category of the Liar of the year, Rahul Gandhi will get that tag. His comments used to embarrass his family, now his lies now embarrass his party and also the entire country," he said slamming Mr Gandhi for his remarks that the NPR exercise is 'anti poor'.

Addressing a rally in Shimla, BJP chief and Union Home Minister Amit Shah accused the Indian National Congress of misleading people over the Citizenship Amendment Act.

"I challenge Rahul Baba that let me know if there is even a single line in the CAA on the withdrawal of anyone's citizenship. Do not divide people over the CAA," he said.

Mr Javadekar said - "Taxing citizens is Congress culture....NPR has nothing to do with taxing people. NPR is only a census of people's living conditions and it has helped poor to get benefits of various welfare and beneficiary schemes," the BJP leader said.

For his part earlier in the day, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the NPR and the NRC are like 'demonetisation' of high value currency note and that these exercises would only "tax" the poor people the same way they had to suffer note ban in 2016."Whether NPR or NRC, it is a tax on poor people of the country. You understand demonetisation. It was a tax on poor people. Go to banks and give your money but do not withdraw. Entire money went to the pocket of 15-20 rich people. This (NPR or NRC) is the same thing," he said in Raipur."Poor people will have to go to officers and show their documents and give bribe," he said.

Countering him, Mr Javadekar said in Delhi that taxing people has been Congress culture as the grand old party had in the past contributed in adding to people's miseries by imposing "Jayanti tax, 2G Tax and Jijaji (Brother in law) tax". The term 'Jayanti Tax' is in reference to hurdles created in the name of environment and forest clearance when Jayanti Natrajan was Union Environment Minister under Manmohan Singh.

Similarly, the '2G tax' symbolises corruption under UPA in the form of 2G spectrum allocation scandal and Jijaji tax refers to 'various corruption cases and land scams' related to Robert Vadra, brother in law of Rahul Gandhi.

The BJP leader further said opposing NPR by states like West Bengal (under Trinamool) and Kerala (under Left) will be nothing but resorting to 'worst kind of anti-poor politics'.