Microsoft's Indian-origin CEO Satya Nadella on Monday voiced concern over the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), saying what is happening is 'sad' and he would love to see a Bangladeshi immigrant create the next unicorn in India.

His comments came while speaking to editors at a Microsoft event in Manhattan where he was asked about the contentious law, which grants citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

'I think what is happening is sad... It's just bad.... I would love to see a Bangladeshi immigrant who comes to India and creates the next unicorn in India or becomes the next CEO of Infosys,' Nadella was quoted as saying by Ben Smith, the Editor-in-Chief of New York-based BuzzFeed News.

In a statement issued by Microsoft India, Nadella said: 'Every country will and should define its borders, protect national security and set immigration policy accordingly. And in democracies, that is something that the people and their governments will debate and define within those bounds.

'I'm shaped by my Indian heritage, growing up in a multicultural India and my immigrant experience in the United States. My hope is for an India where an immigrant can aspire to find a prosperous start-up or lead a multinational corporation benefitting Indian society and the economy at large'.

Many welcomed Nadella's comments with historian Ramchandra Guha saying that he hopes to see an Indian IT giant make a similar statement.

Advocate Brijesh Kalappa said: 'This is Satya Nadella's full statement on CAA. So now, we have Microsoft CEO advising Modi Sarkar that CAA is a bad bad idea and endorsing the protests against it!!'

Some used the remarks to take a dig at the Modi government.

Nadella's remarks, however, did not go down well with the BJP. Reacting to the comments, Meenakashi Lekhi, a BJP MP and national spokesperson of the party, said it is the 'perfect example' of how the literate need to be educated.

'How literate need to be educated! Perfect example,' Lekhi said on Twitter in response, and also posted Nadella's statement issued by Microsoft India.

'Precise reason for CAA is to grant opportunities to persecuted minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan & Afghanistan. How about granting these opportunities to Syrian Muslims instead of Yezidis in USA?' she went on to say.

The Centre last week issued a gazette notification announcing that the CAA has come into effect from January 10, 2020.

The CAA was passed by Parliament on December 11.

According to the legislation, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014 due to religious persecution will not be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian citizenship.

There have been widespread protests against the Act in different parts of the country.

In UP, at least 19 persons were killed in anti-CAA protests.