TMC MP Saket Gokhale accuses BJP of using the Pahalgam terror attack to incite communal tensions
The Statesman | 29 April 2025
Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member Saket Gokhale on Monday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of using the Pahalgam terror attack to target minorities and incite communal tensions in the country.
“Like the Waqf Act, the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) was purely brought by the Modi Govt to target minorities & incite communal tensions in our country….And the BJP is now using the Pahalgam terror attack to do exactly the same thing instead of bringing the terrorists to justice,” Mr Gokhale said in a post shared on his social media handle X.
Advertisement
Recalling that the “Modi Govt claimed that the Citizenship Amendment Act was to provide citizenship to persecuted minorities from neighbouring countries,” Mr Gokhale said, “the truth is only 350 people have been given citizenship.”
The Citizenship Amendment Act is a law in India that provides a path to Indian citizenship for certain undocumented migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, who belong to the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, or Christian faiths. The CAA amends the Citizenship Act of 1955 and specifically targets individuals who entered India on or before December 31, 2014.
The Waqf Amendment Bill, 2025, is a law aiming to reform the management and governance of Waqf properties in India by addressing issues related to litigation, transparency, and accountability. It seeks to update the existing Waqf Act, 1995, to improve efficiency and address shortcomings.
Both the Waqf Act and the CAA had sparked widespread protests across the country by the minority community.
India has taken a series of strong measures following the Pahalgam terror attack, including suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, 1960, and closing the Integrated Check Post Attari with immediate effect and revoking visas of Pakistani nationals setting a deadline for visas under the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation scheme to expire on April 26, medical visa on April 29, and all other visas across a dozen categories, by April 27.
“Now, with the cancelling of visas, minorities from Pakistan who came after the 2014 cut-off date (in the last 11 years) will be deported back to that country. The Pakistani Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains, & Parsis, who Amit Shah said he was ‘protecting’, will be deported back to Pakistan or jailed,” said Gokhale, expressing doubts.