New Delhi: On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a gathering at the Ramlila Maidan. During the speech, he not only targeted opposition but also claimed that no detention center exists in the country.
Detention Centers
He said, ‘There is no detention center in India’, but the fact is that such centers exist in the country and even the government is constructing largest detention center in Matia in the Goalpara district in Assam.
In Assam, detention camps are also run out of the district jails in Dibrugarh, Silchar, Tezpur, Jorhat, Kokrajhar and Goalpara.
The Government has admitted that there are detention centers in the country.
In November 2019 replying to a written question in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said, “As informed by the Government of Assam as on 22nd November 2019, 988 foreigners were lodged in six detention centers in Assam.”
On 2nd July 2019, Union Minister of State (MoS) G Kishan Reddy in Lok Sabha had said that six detention centers have been designated in Assam to ‘hold declared foreigners’ and 335 people have been kept in these centers for more than three years.
In September 2019 the Maharashtra Home Ministry had written to the Navi Mumbai planning authority asking for a three-acre plot in Nerul to build the state’s first detention centre.
In West Bengal, in November 2019 Correction Services Minister Ujjal Biswas said that state government has already finalized land in New Town area to set up two detention centers.
In Karnataka, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai in a written response to a query by Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan said that the Karnataka Government has informed the centre that they are in the process of establishing a detention centre soon.
Nationwide NRC
Another claim which is made by Modi is that since 2014, no discussion on nationwide NRC took place. He further said that NRC was conducted in Assam based on the SC order.
However, Amit Shah recently said that NRC will be implemented across the country and all infiltrators will be identified and expelled before 2024 polls.
BJP on its Twitter handle had also wrote, “We will ensure implementation of NRC in the entire country”. However, the tweet was deleted on 19th December 2019 after the protests against CAA and NRC intensified across the country.
President’s address
In the joint parliament session, President of India, Ram Nath Kovind had also said that government will implement NRC on priority basis.
During
the speech, PM Modi quoted Manmohan Singh’s statement. He said, “Dr.
Manmohan Sing said in Parliament that we should give citizenship to persecuted
minorities from Bangladesh.
If what Manmohan Singh has said I do, then am I responsible?”
Singh had said that any persecuted minority from other countries should be given change to claim citizenship in India whereas, the CAA gives Citizenship to religious minorities of three countries.