Govt will not rest till each oppressed Pakistani refugee is given Indian citizenship: Amit Shah

JABALPUR: Union Home Minister and BJP president Amit Shah on Sunday said that the Narendra Modi government “will not rest” until each oppressed Pakistani refugee is given the Indian citizenship. “Congress people, listen...Oppose (CAA) to the extent you can. But we won’t sit quiet till each oppressed refugee from Pakistan gets Indian citizenship,” Shah said.

Shah was speaking at a public meeting organised in Jabalpur to mobilise support for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).

He also renewed attack on Congres and other opposition parties for spreading rumours about the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 and instilling fears in the minds of minority community members about the law.

Addressing the public rally, Shah said, ''Congress and other opposition parties want the bloodshed to continue in the country and for this, they are spreading falsehood regarding the Citizenship law. I want to them all that the citizenship law has been passed by Parliament and it will be fully implemented.''

Shah also challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to "find out if there was any provision in the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) which can take the citizenship away from any Indian.''

"I challenge Mamata Banerjee and Rahul Baba to find out a provision in the Citizenship Amendment Act that can take the citizenship away from anyone in this country," Shah said while addressing a public meeting here.

Further attacking the Congress party, Shah said, ''When the Partition of the country took place, the Congress party divided the country on the basis of religion." He added that the then leaders had assured Indian citizenship to the minority refugees from Pakistan.

"The Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, Jain, who lived in both East and West Pakistan wanted to come here, but they stayed there because of the bloodshed. The leaders of our country then assured them that they will be welcome here and given the citizenship whenever they come," Shah said.

Taking on the Congress for opposing the CAA, he said, "When the partition took place, there were 30 per cent Hindus in both East and West Pakistan. Today, there are just 3 per cent Hindus in Pakistan and 7 per cent Hindus in East Pakistan (Bangladesh). I want to ask the blind and deaf Congress leaders, where are my Hindu, Sikh, Sindhi brothers."

Speaking on the Ram temple issue, he dared the Congress party to stop the construction of a grand temple dedicated to the deity in Ayodhya. Kapil Sibal, Congress party's lawyer, says Ram temple should not be constructed. I want to tell him, however, they may try, a grand Ram temple will surely be constructed in Ayodhya.''

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, which grants citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist, and Christian from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who came to India on or before December 31, 2014, has triggered widespread protest across the country.