Days after the central government notified the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Union Home Minister Amit Shah reiterated the government's stance, affirming, "This law will never be taken back, and we will never compromise with it."
Shah emphasized, "This is our sovereign right to ensure Indian citizenship in our country, we will never compromise on it and CAA will never be taken back."
Addressing the opposition's skepticism, particularly concerning the repeal of the law if they come to power, Shah asserted, "Even INDI alliance knows that it will not come into power. CAA has been brought by the BJP party, and the Narendra Modi-led government has brought it. It is impossible to repeal it. We will spread awareness about it in the whole nation so that those who want to repeal it do not get a place.”
Regarding criticism that the CAA is unconstitutional, Shah countered, "They always talk about Article 14. They forget that there are two clauses in that Article. This law does not violate Article 14. There is a clear, reasonable classification here. This is a law for those who, due to partition, remained in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh and were facing religious persecution and decided to come to India."
Responding to allegations of political opportunism, Shah stated, First of all I will talk about the timing. All opposition parties including Rahul Gandhi, Mamata or Kejriwal are indulging in jhooth ki rajneeti (politics of lies) so the question of timing does not arise. BJP has made it clear in its 2019 manifesto that it will bring CAA and provide Indian citizenship to refugees (from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan). BJP has a clear agenda and under that promise, the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed in both houses of Parliament in 2019. It got delayed due to Covid. BJP had cleared its agenda well before the party got its mandate in the polls."
Shah emphasized the humanitarian aspect of the CAA, stating, "The main aim of the BJP is to provide rights and justice to persecuted minorities coming from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh."
"The opposition had even raised questions on surgical strike and the abrogation of Article 370 and linked it with political gain. So should we not take stern steps against terrorism? We have been saying since 1950 that we will withdraw Article 370" the Home Minister said.
Dismissing claims that the CAA targets Muslims, Shah clarified, "You cannot see this law in isolation. On August 15, 1947, our country was partitioned. Our country was partitioned into three parts; this is the background. Bharatiya Jan Sangh and BJP were always against the Partition. We never wanted that country to be partitioned based on religion," he said.
"So when the country was partitioned on the basis of religion, minorities faced persecution, they were being converted, women in the minority section were being tortured and came to India. They came to our refuge; don't they have a right to get our citizenship? Even Congress leaders during the partition in their speeches said that those minorities should stay wherever they are due to the widespread bloodshed and they will be welcomed later in our country. Now they started doing vote bank politics and due to appeasement," Shah added.
The Home Minister said that it was the moral duty of the government to ensure the rights of those who were persecuted.
"The people who were part of Akhand Bharat and who were prosecuted or tortured those people should be given refuge in India and this is our social and Constitutional responsibility. Now if you look closely at the statistics, in Pakistan when the partition happened there were 23 per cent Hindus and Sikhs but now only 3.7 per cent of Hindus and Sikhs are left. where are they? They have not returned here. They were converted, tortured, and insulted they were given second-class status. Where will they go? Will the country will not think, Parliament will not think about them, and the political parties should not think about them?" the Home Minister said
"In Afghanistan, at the moment there are now only about 500 Hindus...don't these people have right to live as per their beliefs. When Bharat was one, they were our brothers," he added.
Addressing concerns about job loss and increased crime as stated by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Shah pointed out, "If they are so concerned why are they not talking about Bangladeshi infiltrators and Rohingyas because they are doing vote bank politics? Delhi elections are tough for them that's why they are indulging in vote bank politics".
Finally, Shah challenged critics, particularly West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, stating, "I am requesting Mamata ji, that there are several platforms to do politics, but please don't harm Bengali Hindus coming from Bangaldesh. I challenge Mamata publically to tell one such clause that has the provision of taking away citizenship of any Indian. Her intention is to create differences between Hindus and Muslims to consolidate vote bank. CAA has to be done. If she wants to anything stop infiltration, but she is not cooperating" Amit Shah said.
