CAA grants citizenship, does not take it away: Amit Shah

Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has honoured Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and Jain refugees by giving them citizenship through CAA, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday and maintained the new law has no provision to strip anyone of their citizenship.

Hitting out at the Congress and AIMIM, Shah, addressing party meetings here, said AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and Hyderabad Lok Sabha member Asaduddin Owaisi are lying that minorities of the country will lose their citizenship with the implementation of CAA.

Addressing a BJP social media volunteers meeting here, Shah alleged that the Congress party opposed the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) due to appeasement and vote-bank politics. "We had said we will bring CAA. The Congress party opposed the CAA. Since Independence, it was a promise of the Congress and makers of our Constitution that citizenship would be granted to those persecuted religious minorities in Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan, who come (to India). But, due to appeasement and vote-bank politics, the Congress party opposed the CAA," Shah said, justifying its implementation.

He said in order to save their faith and honour lakhs and crores of people from Pakistan and Bangladesh came to India, but were not granted citizenship. "They (refugees) felt insulted in their own country when they were not granted citizenship," he said, adding that PM Modi honoured Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Sikh refugees by granting them citizenship through the CAA.

The Centre on Monday implemented the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, notifying the rules four years after the contentious law was passed by Parliament to fast-track citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014.

With the unveiling of the rules that came days ahead of the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections, the Modi government will now start granting Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants -- Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians -- from the three countries. The rules came into force with immediate effect, according to a Gazette notification.

Later, addressing a BJP booth workers' meeting here, Shah hit out at those spreading "misapprehension" about the CAA, saying the law grants citizenship and would not take it away.

He slammed AIMIM president Owaisi, Congress president Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi and said they were lying that minorities will lose citizenship due to CAA and accused them of indulging in vote-bank politics over the issue.

"...I want to tell the minorities of this country that no citizen of the country will lose citizenship due to CAA. The CAA is a law that grants citizenship and does not take away anyone's citizenship. I assure you there is no provision in CAA to snatch anyone's citizenship," he said.

The union minister said the Modi government fulfilled the promise of CAA even as the Congress and the AIMIM opposed it. Narendra Modi by granting citizenship to the refugees fulfilled their dreams to live life with dignity, he further said.

Shah highlighted the abolition of Article 370, construction of the Lord Ram temple in Ayodhya, 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, abolition of instant triple talaq and the country emerging as the fastest growing economy as some of the achievements of the Modi government.

He further said India is poised to become the third-largest economy in the world under the leadership of PM Modi. Hitting out at the INDIA bloc, the home minister said it is an alliance of only dynastic parties and the aim of its leaders is to promote their families, while the BJP under the leadership of PM Modi has been trying to make India a 'Vishwaguru.'

Terming the Congress, the BRS and the AIMIM as dynastic parties, Shah said that the BJP should get more than 12 Lok Sabha seats in the state in the upcoming general elections.

Telangana has 17 Lok Sabha seats. The BJP won four seats in the state in the 2019 general elections. The union minister said he did not see PM Modi taking a holiday even for a day in the past 23 years.

Taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi, Shah said, "Every three months he (Rahul Gandhi) takes leave for 45 days. Modi asks everyone to enjoy their holiday in India, but he (Rahul Gandhi) goes to Italy, England and America because he feels it is hot here (in India)."

Recalling the surgical and air strikes carried out by the NDA government against terror camps, Shah said there used to be regular infiltration from Pakistan and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh did not do anything about it.

Shah further accused the Congress-led UPA government of indulging in corruption worth Rs 12 lakh crore during its 10-year-rule. He hit out at the Congress government in Telangana and BRS for running on the AIMIM's agenda.

These parties are corrupt and they cannot do good for the youth, farmers, women, OBCs and Dalits of Telangana, he said and asserted that only the BJP and Modi can develop Telangana.

The union minister claimed the Congress government "went out of its way" and made AIMIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi Pro tem Speaker, when the newly-elected MLAs of Telangana were to take oath during the first session of the Legislative Assembly (in December 2023).

He said both Congress and BRS cannot officially celebrate September 17, the day the princely state of Hyderabad merged with the Indian union in 1948, as Hyderabad Liberation Day. He dared Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to hold a press conference and deny "What Amit Bhai said is wrong".

Shah also listed the pro-poor initiatives and welfare measures undertaken by the Modi government in the last 10 years and added that the prime minister fulfilled all guarantees.

After the meetings, Shah along with Union Minister G Kishan Reddy offered prayers at the Bhagyalakshmi temple near the historic Charminar here.