About 1500 families including one from Muslim community, who had came from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan and are currently living in Haryana, have applied for Indian Citizenship.
“As per the data compiled by Haryana Government, there are around 1500 families of various religions, who have applied for Indian Citizenship.
These families, who faced religious persecution, would now be eligible for the citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA). There is only one family from Muslim Community among them while all others belong to other religions,” said Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal while addressing a press conference here on Friday.
According to the CAA, Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, Jain, Sikh and Parsi migrants who have entered India illegally-that is, without a visa-on or before December 31, 2014 from the Muslim-majority countries of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh and have stayed in the country for five years, are eligible to apply for Indian citizenship.
Manohar Lal, while defending the BJP led Central Government’s decision on CAA and proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC) said, “India has provided all facilities to the minorities in the country but people of six faiths including Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, Jain, Sikh and Parsi migrants have faced persecution in three Islamic countries but Muslims haven't.
It was, therefore, decided to give immunity to such refugees in India.”
Lashing out at the opposition for its allegations that the new law is discriminatory against Muslims, the Chief Minister said that the Congress is only interested in vote bank politics and hence, misinforming people and spreading illusionary fear among minorities.
In the last five years, the Union Government has given citizenship to around 550 Muslims from various countries, who had sought for it, he added.
Responding to a question related to immigrants from Ahmadiyya Muslim community living in Haryana for several decades, Manohar Lal said that many of them have already been given citizenship and they are from good background… I can give verbal certificate that they are nationalists, he added.
When asked whether the Muslim family which is among 1500 others seeking Indian citizenship would be given the citizenship, the Chief Minister said that they would be given citizenship as per the criteria.
On being further asked if it is correct to exclude Muslims from CAA and indulge in discrimination against a particular religion, the Chief Minister said that any kind of discrimination is wrong in any country. But, Muslims haven't faced any kind of persecution in three Islamic countries namely Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh… They are in majority there, he said.
Commenting on NCR, he said that opposition parties are also doing politics on NCR. If we do not implement NRC in India and do not issue national identity card to the citizens, then the entry of intruders would become easier, the Chief Minister said.
We have accepted all the refugees who came in 1947.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former Union Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani are also included in this. Even I, myself is one of such refugees, he added.
Pointing out the figures of minority in neighboring countries, the Chief Minister said that population of minority people in Pakistan has reduced to 3.7 percent from 23 percent of 1947.
It reduced to 7.9 percent from 22 percent in Bangladesh, he further added.
Notably, ever since the controversial Act came into effect in December last year, the anti-CAA protests have intensified across the nation, with some of them turning violent and leading to several deaths.
The Bharatiya Janta Party has decided to hold a massive public awareness campaign from January 5 onwards to dispel any widespread misconception regarding the CAA. The Chief Minister Manohar Lal is also scheduled to hold a meeting on January 5 in neighboring Punjab to address concerns about the CAA.