Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah distributed citizenship certificates to 188 refugee sisters-brothers under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Ahmedabad, Gujarat today. Many dignitaries were present on the occasion including the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Bhupendra Patel.
In his address, Amit Shah said that the CAA is not just to give citizenship to millions of people settled in the country, but to give justice and rights to millions of refugees. He said that due to the appeasement policy of the previous governments, the people who took refuge in the country from 1947 to 2014 did not get their rights and justice. He said these people had to endure abuse not only in neighbouring countries but also here. Shah said that these millions of people yearned for justice for three generations but due to the appeasement policy of the opposition, they did not get justice. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has provided justice to these lakhs and crores of people.
Union Home Minister said that at the time of independence, India was divided on the basis of religion and at that time there were severe riots. He said crores of Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains and Christians living in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh cannot forget their sufferings. He said many families were left desolated, while, those now in Opposition had then promised that people from Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain and Christian communities coming from neighbouring countries would be given citizenship of India.
Shah said that by the time the elections came, the leaders of the then government had reneged on their promises and the assurances made in 1947, 1948 and 1950 were forgotten. He said the then government did not give citizenship to these people as it would have angered their vote bank. He said that due to their policy of appeasement, millions of these people were deprived of citizenship and there can be no greater sin than that.
Amit Shah said that crores of people fled and suffered, many lost their families and property, but here in India they did not even get a citizenship. He said that the journey from 1947 to 2019 and 2019 to 2024 will always be remembered by the history of this country.
He asked why can’t those from neighbouring countries who came to India seeking self-respect be given a citizenship? Shri Shah said that on one hand, the opposition made crores of people citizens illegally in India by infiltrating them from across the border, and on the other hand, those who followed and abided by the law were told that there is no legal provision for their citizenship.
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that the law is for the people and not the people for the law. He said that we had promised in 2014 that we will bring CAA and in 2019 the Modi government brought this law. He said that through this law, crores of Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, Sikhs, who did not get justice, started getting justice. Shri Shah said that this law was passed in 2019 but even after that people were provoked and were told that it would take away the citizenship of Muslims. Union Home Minister clarified that there is no provision in this law to take anyone’s citizenship and it is a law to give citizenship. He said that people of our own country are living in destitution in our own country, what can be more unfortunate and ironic than this? Shah said that what could not be done for many years due to the appeasement policy, Prime Minister Modi did it and brought this law in 2019.
Amit Shah said that even after the law was passed in 2019, these families did not get citizenship till 2024 as riots were fomented in the country and minorities were instigated. He said rumours were spread in the country about CAA. This law does not take away anyone’s citizenship and it is a law to give citizenship to Hindu, Jain, Sikh, Buddhist refugees.
Shah said that even today some state governments are misleading the people. The Home Minister appealed to the refugees across the country to feel free to apply for citizenship and this will keep their jobs, houses, etc. intact as before.
Union Home Minister said that there is no provision of any criminal prosecution in this law and everyone has been given amnesty. He said this has been done because the delay in giving citizenship was due to the government and not because of the people. He told the refugees across the country that this law will work to give justice and honour, and will be an atonement for the atrocities that happened to the refugee people.
Amit Shah said that when partition took place, there were 27 per cent Hindus in Bangladesh, today only 9 per cent are left. He asked where did the remaining Hindus go? He said that they were forcibly converted. Shri Amit Shah said that the people who came in our shelter deserve to have a life of self respect and continue to practice their religion as per their wish? He said, if neighbours cannot live with dignity in their country and come to our shelter, we cannot remain a mute spectator. He said this is the Narendra Modi government and these people will definitely get justice in this government.
Union Home and Minister of Cooperation said that the refugees had been demanding to bring this law for a long time and Prime Minister Modi took a strong- willed decision in 2019 and got the law passed. He said that after the passage of this law, there were violent incidents in some places, but finally, before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, we were able to bring out the necessary rules to confer the right of citizenship along with a certificate to the applicants.
Amit Shah said that in 2014, Shri Narendra Modi had said that the democracy of this country is suffering from the four evils of nepotism, casteism, appeasement and corruption. He said that in the last 10 years, Modi ji has worked tirelessly to uproot these four evils. Shri Shah said that on 15th August this year, Prime Minister Modi has appealed against dynastic politics asking 1 lakh youth to join politics, those whose family members are not in politics. He said Modi ji also fought against corruption. He said Modi ji declared four castes – poor, women, youth and farmers – to end the scourge of casteism. Shri Shah said that Prime Minister Modi put a new kind of a political philosophy before the country and also ended the politics of appeasement.
Union Home Minister said that there were many issues of this country which were stuck for decades. For example, it was Modi ji who did the work of building a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya after 550 years. Similarly, the Kashi Vishwanath temple destroyed by Aurangzeb has been rebuilt, the Shaktipeeth of Pavagadh destroyed by Mohammad Begada has also been restored.
He said that Narendra Modi ji also did the work of ending triple talaq in India. Shri Shah said that Article 370, which nurtured that thought that led to the birth of Terror factories and was the main reason for them to be operational, was also abolished by Prime Minister Modi. Similarly, the amendment to the citizenship law was also brought by Shri Narendra Modi ji and justice was given to crores of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain brothers who were deprived of their rights.
Amit Shah appealed to the refugees across the country that the Opposition parties will try to mislead them, but they should not be afraid. He said that those who are misleading minorities should know that they are doing injustice to them. Making a reference to the Opposition, Shri Shah said that they did not had the courage to bring this law, but now at least they should support the Modi government in implementing it.
