BJP Pushes On Amidst Pro, Anti-CAA Campaigns

Over the past few days, towns and cities across the country have witnessed protests, some violent, over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). With the protests showing no signs of ebbing, the BJP has decided to launch a countrywide pro-CAA campaign from January 5.

The campaign under the leadership of Union Home Minister Amit Shah is intended to create public awareness about CAA. It aims at reaching out to 3 crore families during the course of the campaign.

At this point, it is difficult to predict as to how effective the BJP is an awareness campaign would prove to be. Perhaps for the first time in its five and half-year rule, the Modi government finds itself on the back foot on an important national issue.

The opposition parties have succeeded to a very large extent in blurring the picture for the man on the street on CAA, National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Citizens (NRC). The fear that CAA and NPR are tied to NRC has been instilled into the minds of some people. Meanwhile, students of various universities and College campus have joined the protests.

Why couldn't the BJP successfully convey its message on the issue, leave alone convince a sizeable section of the population? Was it a bit too sure-footed or complacent? It is hard to tell at this stage. The next few weeks will unravel this puzzle for us. Did the BJP leadership underestimate the scale of protests that followed the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Bill in parliament? Is it waiting and hoping for them to fizzle out even as the Congress and other opposition parties take to the streets day after day? The next few days will determine the course the BJP would take on the issue.