Bhubaneswar: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday accused opposition parties of inciting communal riots over the CAA by spreading “misinformation” that Muslims will lose their citizenship because of the new law. He also extolled Prime Minister Narendra Modi for addressing important issues relating to “national security and sensibilities”, including abrogation of provisions of Article 370, CAA and the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute.
“Opposition parties are spreading misinformation that Muslims will lose their Indian citizenship because of the CAA. They are instigating people and fomenting riots,” he told a pro-CAA BJP rally here. “I have said this before and repeating it now that nobody, no Indian Muslim will lose their citizenship because of the CAA. This law is for granting citizenship to religious minorities that have been persecuted in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. It’s not intended to take away anyone’s citizenship”.
Calling the Citizenship (Amendment) Act a “historic step”, Shah alleged that the Congress, Communists, SP, BSP and ‘Mamata didi’ were spreading lies about it. Asking people not to be misled over the opposition’s attempts at creating ‘bhranti’ (confusion) about the new law, he said the Modi government had only fulfilled the dreams of leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Maulana Azad and others who favoured Indian citizenship for persecuted minorities from the three countries.
He said people should come out and ask those fomenting trouble to explain which clause of the Citizensip (Amendment) Act talked about snatching citizenship. (PTI)
