Prepared for anger from Muslims, not widespread protests, admits BJP leader

New Delhi, Dec 26: Amid massive protest against the contentious citizenship law, members of the ruling BJP have admitted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government did not anticipate a nationwide protest against the new law.

We had been prepared for some anger from Muslims, but not the widespread protests that have convulsed most major cities for two weeks, the BJP leaders told Reuters.

"I really did not see the protests coming ... not just me, other BJP lawmakers were also unable to predict this kind of anger," Sanjeev Balyan, a ruling party legislator and junior federal minister, told Reuters.

With the BJP's allies distancing themselves from it over the fallout of amendments in the citizenship law and turning against the proposed NRC, the party finds itself increasingly isolated over these contentious issues but its leaders believe that any revision in its stand on the twin planks is unlikely.

However, almost all non-BJP chief ministers, barring those in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and some in northeast, have come out against the proposed creation of a National Register of Citizens, making the idea a non-starter as of now.

A strong view within the BJP is that the party will politically gain from the amended citizenship law and the NRC as the former underlines its commitment to the Hindu refugees and the proposed registration of citizens is in line with its agenda of identifying illegal infiltrators.

However, many political believe that the extent of protests has put the government on the defensive and highlighted its unpreparedness.