Detention centers were opened by Congress in 2011: BJP.

By Manish K Singhal

New Delhi, Dec 26 (HS): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s statement against Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating, “RSS’s Prime Minister lies to Bharat Mata”, with the hashtag ‘Jhoot Jhoot Jhoot (lies, lies, lies) on the issue of detention centers, has once again drew criticism against him as BJP leadership countered that it was Congress that made detention centers during its regime, not the BJP.

“It was Congress that made detention centers during its regime. After the BJP came into power, no detention center has been constructed so far,” said BJP spokesperson Sudesh Verma. On December 13, 2011, through an official press release issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the then Congress government has said, “Govt. of Assam has set up three detention camps at Goalpara, Kokrajhar, and Silchar to keep the declared foreigners/illegal migrants till deportation to their place of origin.”

“A total of 362 foreigners/illegal migrants have been sent to these detention camps till November 2011. The number of foreigners/illegal migrants sent to detention camps are 221 persons in Goalpara, 79 in Kokrajhar, and 62 in Silchar. Of these, a total of 78 persons have been so far deported to their place of origin till November 2011,” the then government’s official release has said.

Taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi, Verma said that Rahul Gandhi has been very much in media for his baseless comments and this time also he intentionally twisted the statement of the Prime Minister. “After the BJP government came into power, no detention center has been opened so far,” asserted Sudeep Verma.

Rahul Gandhi today alleged in a tweet that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has claimed that there were no detention centers in the country. He alleged that “RSS’s Prime Minister lies to Bharat Mata”, with the hashtag ‘Jhoot Jhoot Jhoot (lies, lies, lies). Verma said that Gandhi has always been non-updated on every issue. He perhaps have not been told that these detention centers were made by his party itself.

On Sunday, while addressing a rally at Ramlila Ground in Delhi, the Prime Minister had said that Congress, its allies and “Urban Naxals” were spreading “lies and misinformation” about the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) as no Indian Muslim had anything to fear from them, and there were no detention centers in India made by BJP.

In response, Congress said that a “simple google search” could fact-check his “lies”. “Does PM Modi believe Indians can’t do a simple google search to fact check his lies? Detention centers are extremely real and will continue to grow as long as this govt is in power,” the Congress had tweeted.