WB-SHAH

Nominating Sadhvi Pragya absolutely right decision: Amit Shah
    Kolkata, Apr 22 (PTI) BJP national president Amit Shah
Monday defended the party's decision to nominate Sadhvi Pragya
as a Lok Sabha candidate saying the allegations against her
are false and the real culprits in the Malegaon blast case
have evaded the law.
    Sadhvi Pragya, who is out on bail in the Malegaon
blast case of 2008, has been fielded by the BJP from Bhopal
constituency.
    "It is absolutely a right decision. The allegations
against her are baseless. Nothing against her or Swami
Aseemanad have been proved," Shah said while addressing a
media conference here.
    Claiming that the "real culprits" were let off after
being arrested, he said, questions should be asked why they
were released.
    Speaking on the contentious NRC and the Citizenship
(Amendment) Bill, Shah said refugees need not worry as after
returning to power, the BJP will first bring the bill in
Parliament and then implement the NRC across the country to
weed out infiltrators.
    "The refugees will be given citizenship and they will
remain in this country with full dignity. They should not pay
heed to the misleading statements by Mamata Banerjee," the BJP
president said.
    The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed by the Lok
Sabha on January 8 but was not tabled in Rajya Sabha where the
BJP does not have majority.
    The picture of Rajya Sabha will change in favour of
the BJP by 2020 and there will be no problem in passing the
bill, he said.
    To a question on alleged discrepancies over
citizenship and educational qualifications in Congress
president Rahul Gandhi's poll affidavit filed at Amethi, Shah
said the returning officer concerned should look into it.
    Asked if the BJP will seek support from the Trinamool
Congress in case it falls short of majority, he said, "The
question does not arise. We will get full majority."
    Reiterating his charge that "democracy has ceased to
exist in West Bengal", Shah exuded confidence that people of
the state will defeat the Trinamool Congress in this election.
PTI PNT
NN NN