‘Mistakes of the past’: Kiren Rijiju invokes citizenship debate with 90s Chanakya clip; hits out over Bihar voter roll row

NEW DELHI: Union minister Kiren Rijiju on Sunday took a sharp dig at the Congress party by sharing a fiery scene from Doordarshan's iconic 90s TV show Chanakya. The video shows a heated debate in an ancient council of Chandragupta Maurya on whether refugees should be granted shelter — a debate Rijiju linked to today’s politics.He captioned the clip: “Seeing Congress party support illegal infiltrators reminded me of this scene. Mistakes committed more than 2000 years back. We can't allow illegal migrants in our voter list,” he wrote, referring to the ongoing electoral roll revision in Bihar and opposition criticism led by the Congress.Ironically, the Mauryan Empire — the backdrop of Chanakya’s council debates — was rooted in ancient Bihar itself.In the video clip, a fierce council debate unfolds with one courtier saying, "Sharan dena ya na dena aapke maanvi drishtikon par nirbhar karta hai" (Whether or not to grant asylum depends on your humanitarian perspective), while others warn of dire consequences, arguing, "Kal yehi sharnarthi Takshashila ki bhoomi par adhikaar ka daava karenge" (Tomorrow, these refugees will claim rights over our land).

The BJP has often leaned on historical and cultural imagery to frame its politics, invoking ancient texts and reclaiming historical figures to bolster its ideological messaging.

The party has taken a hard line on migration, linking it to national security. In states like West Bengal, the party accuses the Mamta Banerjee government of enabling illegal entry. Earlier this year, Union home minister Amit Shah alleged that the Mamata Banerjee-led government was “showing mercy to infiltrators” and deliberately stalling border fencing efforts — a move he claimed was putting the country’s security at risk.The current BJP government, however, passed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in 2019 to fast-track naturalisation for refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.

The move triggered widespread protests, with critics calling it discriminatory for excluding Muslims.India is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol, and has no national refugee law, leaving most such decisions to government's discretion.Ironically, while India tightens its stance on illegal migration, it faces the brunt of anti-migrant policies abroad. With US president Donald Trump’s renewed crackdown on immigration, India now risks losing access to a multi-billion-dollar remittance lifeline, crucial to millions of families dependent on overseas earnings.