HM launches law awareness
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said the Government will not budge an inch on its decision to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act despite the Opposition criticism of the law.
Launching an “awareness programme” in support of the amended citizenship law, Shah accused the Congress and other Opposition parties of running a misinformation campaign.
He said the amended law does not take away Indian citizenship from anyone but grants citizenship.
Opposition parties have criticised the amendment which allows non-Muslims an easier path to citizenship if they have come to India from three neighbouring countries before 2015 after facing religious persecution.
Shah accused the Congress of playing vote-bank politics by spreading “misinformation”. “No provision in the Citizenship Amendment Act to take anyone’s citizenship away, it is a law to grant citizenship. Minorities living honourably in India while their percentage declined in neighbouring countries,” the Home Minister said.
The Jodhpur rally by Shah is the first of 30 mega rallies planned by the BJP across the country to reach out to people on the new Citizenship law, NRC and NPR. According to Jodhpur MP Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the city has around 25,000 refugees from Pakistan seeking citizenship under the new law.
Earlier on Thursday, the Minister said the National Register of Citizens (NRC) was not on the agenda of the Government yet. However, asked if it had been put in cold storage, he said he had never said that and added that the CAA should be discussed now. He also targeted the Opposition for spreading misinformation about the CAA.
“Pradhanmantri ne ye kaha hai ki abhi NRC nahi aa raha hai. Aur main bhi keh raha hun ki abhi NRC ki charcha nahi hai (The PM has only said that NRC is not coming as yet. I am also saying that there is no talk of NRC now),” Shah said.