Janjivan Bureau / Lucknow : The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will not be taken back, Union home minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday as he called for a public debate on the legislation that has triggered country-wide protests and forced the BJP to launch an awareness campaign.
Addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh Lucknow, the Union home minister also lashed out at the Congress saying its actions divided the country. On his line of attack were Congress’ Rahul Gandhi as well as West Bengal chief Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav.
“The anti-CAA parties are spreading propaganda and spreading illusions that’s why the BJP is running the Jan Jagran Abhiyan, which is a public awareness campaign against those who break the country,” Amit Shah said.
“Let it be very loud and clear to our opponents that the citizenship law won’t be rolled back at any cost, irrespective of the protests,” Shah said of the amended law which will enable the government to give citizenship to non-Muslims from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
The minister reiterated that there is no provision for taking the citizenship of anyone anywhere under CAA and said that people will rather get India’s citizenship.
“I have introduced this bill in the Lok Sabha. I want to tell the opposition that you should discuss this bill publicly. If it can take citizenship of any person, then prove it and show it,” he said.
As several people from the minority communities in the three Muslim-majority countries, who had taken refuge in various parts of the politically-crucial state, attended the rally, Shah accused the opposition of indulging in politics over the issue.
“Aankh ke andhe, kaan ke behre netaon ko in par huey atyachar dikhai nahi padta (The blind and deaf leaders can’t see the atrocities heaped on these persecuted minorities),” Shah said.
The senior minister was severely critical of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav whose daughter was spotted recently at Lucknow’s Clock Tower in the old city area where Muslim women have been on an indefinite protest against the citizenship law.
“Akhilesh ji you keep talking through scripted speeches. I dare you to speak independently for five minutes on the citizenship issue,” he said.
Women’s protest
His rally comes even as the protest led by women against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) entered its fifth day.
Police have booked 16 women and more than 100 unidentified persons, including two daughters of poet Munawwar Rana, in connection with the anti-CAA protest at Clock Tower in Chowk area of the capital of Uttar Pradesh.
