Prashant Kishor thanks Congress for stand on CAA, NRC

Political strategist Prashant Kishor, who was the man behind Narendra Modi's successful election campaign in 2014, on Sunday supported Congress' anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA and National Register of Citizens (NRC) stand, declaring that the new law will not be implemented in Bihar.

His reaction came after he targeted the Congress in December last year and questioned the absence of top Congress leaders in the protests against CAA and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC).

"I join my voice with all to thank Congress leadership for their formal and unequivocal rejection of CAA and NRC. Both Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi deserve special thanks for their efforts on this count," Kishor tweeted.

In another Tweet, Kishor said "(I) also would like to reassure to all -- CAA will not be implemented in Bihar".

Kishor's remarks came after the government on Friday issued a gazette notification declaring that the CAA has come into force with immediate effect granting citizenship to six non-Muslim minority communities -- Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian -- who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014.

The Congress as well as various other political parties have raised voices against the CAA which was passed by Parliament on December 11 -- a move which faced countrywide violent protests on "misconception" that the law is against the Muslim community residing in India.

Facing criticism and protest against CAA, the Central government, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on many occasions have clarified that the law is "nothing to do with the citizens of India" and that a "misconception" is being fuelled by the opposition parties against the law.

The Prime Minister, while speaking at a programme in Belur Math in West Bengal on Sunday, clarified again that the law is to provide citizenship to minority immigrants facing religious persecution in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan and that it "does not snatch citizenship".IANS