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.
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 CAA. Since Independence it was a promise of the Congress and makers of our Constitution that citizenship will be granted to those persecuted on religious grounds in Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan, who come (to India). But, due to appeasement and vote-bank politics, 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 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.
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.
He alleged that the Congress party dragged on the Ram Mandir issue for 70 years and boycotted the consecration due to vote-bank politics.
Shah said PM Modi ensured corruption-free governance in the past 10 years.
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