Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that the Citizenship Amendment (CAA) is a law to grant citizenship and not remove it. Shah also said that the government would not back down on its decision to implement the CAA despite criticism from the opposition.
Amit Shah was addressing a rally in Jodhpur in Rajasthan to launch an “awareness program” in support of a revised awareness law.
“There is no provision in the Citizenship Amendment Act to take one’s citizenship, it is a law to confer citizenship,” Amit Shah.
Opposition parties are opposing amendments to the citizenship law that grants citizenship to non-Muslims from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh if they come from these three countries before 2015 after experiencing religious persecution.
The Home Minister said that the Center will not retreat even an inch on this issue, no matter how many parties join hands against it.
“Even if all these parties come together, the BJP will not back an inch on this issue of the Citizenship Amendment Act. You can spread as much misinformation as you want ”, Shah said.
Amit Shah also attacked the Congress, accusing the CAA of doing vote bank politics by spreading “misinformation”.
“For vote bank politics, the Congress party is speaking out against a great personality like Veer Savarkar. Congressmen should be ashamed of themselves.
Earlier in the day, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the Center, accusing the government of dividing the country in the name of religion. Banerjee said that he would not allow the BJP government to take away his rights.
Addressing a rally in Siliguri, Banerjee said, “If we raise the issue of unemployment and starvation, they go to Pakistan.” “I didn’t let them take the rights,” she said.
The BJP-led central government is imposing all restrictions to remove doubts about the provisions of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. Party leader Anil Jain said the BJP has started a door-to-door campaign, which will reach out to three crore families to clarify perceptions about the CAA.
