Amit Shah: Govt to go ahead with CAA despite protests

New Delhi: Notwithstanding widespread protests, including violent agitations, against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) across the country, in particular by students, BJP president and Union home minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday the Opposition parties can oppose the law “as much as they can”, but the Narendra Modi government was “committed to give citizenship and a dignified life to refugees persecuted for the last 70 years”. Blaming the Opposition camp of spreading misinformation against the CAA and inciting violence, Mr Shah said the CAA was meant to grant citizenship to religiously persecuted refugees and not to take away the citizenship of any Indian. The home minister also said the Opposition was misleading students by spreading misinformation against the law for political gain, and asserted that those who were opposing it should at least read the full document.

With the Opposition reaching out to President Ram Nath Kovind, urging him to intervene over the violence in Central universities and to advise the Modi government to withdraw the “unconstitutional and divisive” law, Mr Shah made it clear it will not be withdrawn at any cost and challenged the Opposition leaders, including Congress president Sonia Gandhi, to declare that her party favours giving citizenship to all Pakistanis and Afghans.

“Zara bhi nahin (not at all) ... kinchit matra sambhavna nahin (there is no scope)... bilkul wapas nahin hoga (it will not be withdrawn),” Mr Shah said in reply to a question by a TV news channel on whether the CAA will be taken back.

Earlier during the day, Mr Shah challenged people who are against the new law to oppose it as much as they can. “Come what may, the Modi government will ensure that these refugees get Indian citizenship and live as Indians with honour,” said Mr Shah, adding that implementation of the Nehru-Liaqat pact in “letter and spirit” was being ignored for over 70 years, and “is finally being taken care of under Mr Modi’s leadership.

When asked about another controversial measure, the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Mr Shah said the NRC was a part of the Assam Accord signed during a Congress government, which was being implemented, and said even the Congress had accepted that religiously persecuted people should be given shelter by India.

“I would ask Congress leaders, including Mrs Gandhi, to read the first clause of the Nehru-Liaqat pact which mentions both countries giving same rights to minorities in each other’s country, which Pakistan failed to do... the minorities in Pakistan are persecuted, they are forced ro convert their religion... women there are not safe... this law is for these people. How can this act be against Indians or its minorities, who are its citizens,” asked Mr Shah. On the police action against students protesting against the law, Mr Shah said that it was a law an order situation and the police had to control it.

On the Ram Mandir issue, Mr Shah clarified that no BJP member would be part of the trust to oversee activities for the construction and functioning of the temple, as ordered by the Supreme Court, and also the government would not give a single penny to the trust as it would be maintained through donations.

The BJP, meanwhile, feels the current mobilisation of protesters against the amended citizenship law will not sustain for long as there is no “merit” in it. “The protest is on a non-issue. It is notional, imaginary and anxiety-based. There is no merit in it. The mobilisation of protesters against the law will not sustain for long. There is no life for such protests,” said BJP general secretary Murlidhar Rao. On former ally Uddhav Thackeray, the Shiv Sena chief, likening the police crackdown on the students of Jamia Millia Islamia to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Mr Rao said: “By equating with Jallianwala Bagh massacre, he is insulting the martyrs. He is also insulting democracy and the entire system.”  Uddhav Thackeray is chief minister of Maharashtra.