Former Minister P. Chidambaram’s characterisation of the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) as a signal that the Muslim community will not be entitled to the rights and privileges of an Indian citizen cannot be merely dismissed as opportunistic fishing in the troubled political waters; it deserves strong condemnation for its mischievous distortion of facts (“It is a clear signal, a blunt signal”, December 13, Interview with P. Chidambaram). CAB has nothing to do with Muslim citizens of India. The spectacle of a senior Congress leader spewing venom like a communal propagandist is reprehensible. The Goebbelsian strategy to inject falsehood into the political narrative under the guise of defending minority rights intends to trap the Muslim community in a perpetual state of victimhood. It will tear the nation’s secular fabric of which the party never tires of tom-tomming. The Congress party’s disinformation campaign has sent out wrong signals to foreign countries.
V.N. Mukundarajan,
Thiruvananthapuram
