CAA ahead of polls dirty vote bank politics of BJP: Kejriwal

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act ahead of the Lok Sabha polls was "dirty vote bank politics" of the BJP and asserted that people want this law to be repealed. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva hit back at Kejriwal, charging he has hurt the sentiments of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, and Christian refugees living in the country.

The Citizenship Amendment Act seeks to grant citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014. At a press conference, Kejriwal said, "With this law (CAA), the BJP government at the Centre has opened the floodgates for the arrival of a large number of poor minorities from Pakistan and Bangladesh into India."

Even if 1.5 crore of the minorities in neighbouring countries come to India following the implementation of the CAA, a dangerous situation will arise, he claimed. "It will be a migration bigger than that of 1947... Law and order will go for a toss. There could be an increase in rape and dacoity," said Kejriwal who is also the convener of the Aam Aadmi Party. There are 3.5 crore minorities in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, he said and alleged, "The BJP wants to spend the money of our people in settling poor migrants from Pakistan and Bangladesh by giving houses and jobs here."

The country demands scrapping of CAA, he said and asked people to vote against the BJP if the law is not repealed. Kejriwal said that had the BJP government at the Centre done its work in its 10-year rule, there would have been no need for it to implement CAA ahead of the polls. "People in India are facing back-breaking inflation... and the youths are forced to run from pillar to post for jobs, " the AAP leader said.