Why PM Modi Not Accepting My Suggestion Of Debating CAA With 5 Critics, Asks P Chidambaram

Last week, Chidambaram also slammed the Central government over proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR).

Chidambaram also slammed the Central government over proposed NRC and NPR. (File Photo/ Getty)

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi as to why neither he nor his government has yet accepted his challenge of the PM holding an open debate with at least five critics of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and let people draw their own conclusion. After getting no response from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dispensation, Chidambaram took to Twitter and reminded the Central government, his challenge. "I had suggested that the PM should select five of the most articulate critics and hold a Q&A session with them. Why doesn't the PM/Government accept the suggestion?," he asked. "Let five critics of CAA-NPR debate the PM. Let the event be televised live. And let the people draw their own conclusions," he wrote in Twitter.

Let five critics of CAA-NPR debate the PM. Let the event be televised live. And let the people draw their own conclusions.

— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) January 21, 2020

In another tweet, he said, "HM (home minister) has dared the Opposition to debate CAA. Is that not what the Opposition, jurists, academics, writers, artists, students and youth have been doing since Dec 12?" On Tuesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had launched a blistering attack on the opposition and dared it to protest as much as they can for the Modi government will not take back the new legislation. Shah dared Rahul Gandhi, Mayawati, Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav to a public debate on CAA and said that these leaders were driven only by vote-bank politics. Last week, Chidambaram also slammed the Central government over proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR). He had said that NPR is nothing but 'NRC in disguise'. "Modi government has changed gears and is now only talking about the NPR after the "fiasco" in Assam over the citizenship list, he said at an anti-CAA rally in Kolkata. "Our purpose is to fight the sinister purpose of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Population Register (NPR) and mobilise public opinion against them. Our stated position is that we will not agree to NPR being rolled out from April 2020," he had said. Extending an olive branch to Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party and other Opposition parties to come together in fight against the CAA, Chidamaram said all political parties fighting against the NPR, the CAA and the proposed nationwide NRC must come together. "We are fighting against NRC and CAA. Sometimes together, sometimes differently. The important thing is that we are fighting," he said. Chidambaram had also said that chief ministers of states ruled by his party will take position consistent with the Congress Working Committee resolution against the CAA, the NPR and the NRC. On the petitions filed against the CAA in the Supreme Court, Chidambaram, also a lawyer, had said, "Many eminent lawyers, many eminent jurists have already opined that the CAA is unconstitutional. We will put up arguments on our side." (With inputs from PTI)