The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday, 22 December, tweeted a video in which two animated Muslim characters are seen having a conversation about the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), in an apparent effort to clear confusion around the law.
In the video, one of the characters runs into a fellow Muslim who is returning from an anti-CAA/NRC protest. The former then explains the basics of each and addresses the ‘misconceptions’.
“We appeal to every Indian Muslim that they make an effort to understand CAA and educate others about it as well. Otherwise, the political parties will keep polarising the nation for their own votebanks,” the BJP’s official handle tweeted out.
“Be wary of rumours and know the truth,” it added.
The video says that both CAA and NRC pose no threat to Muslims who are Indian citizens, and says the law is to grant citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
It claims that Muslims don’t need to be included in the CAA since the three nations are Muslim majority and wouldn’t persecute their own community.
On the topic of NRC, it says that the scheme hasn’t been officially announced yet. When it is, it will be designed in such a way “that it doesn’t inconvenience any citizen.”
Towards the end, the Muslim character who had come back from an anti-government protest accepts these arguments and changes his opinion.
The video ends by calling out Opposition parties such as Congress, Aam Aadmi Party and Trinamool Congress for allegedly using the issue for political traction.
Social Media Backlash
The video has met with mixed reactions. While supporters of the government touted the video as informative, many criticised it, alleging stereotyping of Muslims and a misleading message.
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