BHUBANESWAR: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said slammed the Opposition for spreading 'falsehood' on Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and inciting hatred among minor communities.
Addressing his fist pro-CAA rally after Delhi violence, Shah said, the Opposition spearheaded by Congress is fueling the communal riots by spreading misinformation that Muslims would lose citizenship because of the amended law.
"I repeat that CAA will not take away anyone's citizenship but it will provide citizenship to people who are subjected to religious persecution in neighbouring countries. It's not a law to snatch citizenship.
"People must come out and question those fomenting trouble to explain them which clause of the
act mentioned about taking away citizenship," he said.
Shah assured the minorities that no Indian Muslim will lose their citizenship because of CAA. The law is for granting citizenship to religious minorities that have been persecuted in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, he reiterated.
Opposition, Shah said, is peddling lies to mislead people and create confusion about the amended citizenship act which will protect human rights of lakhs of people.
The Modi Government has just fulfilled the dreams of Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhai Patel, Maulana Azad and others who favoured Indian citizenship for persecuted minorities, he observed.
Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi for resolving important national issues, including abrogation of provisions of Article 370, CAA and Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute, he said Kashmir is now the crown of India while a towering temple will be built at the place where Lord Ram was born.
Charging the Congress for poor economic condition of the country, the Home Minister said, Modi Government has decided to secure India's place among the top-three economy in the world in next five year by making the country a five trillion dollar economy. "After ruling for 55 years, the Congress had left us at 11th position but we have brought it to the fifth place in the last five years," he said.
Shah also thanked the people of Odisha for extending their support to BJP in the last General Elections.
While Naveen Patnaik led BJD bagged 1.1 crore votes, the BJP got 91 lakh votes. In the assembly elections, the party too have performed well. Of the 37,000 booths in the State, the party was ahead in over 14,000 booths. All credit goes to the party workers and people of the State. "One more jump
and the party will be No.1 in Odisha," he said.
Highlighting Central assistance, he said, Odisha received Rs 2.11 lakh crore during 14th Finance Commission when BJP was at the Centre as against Rs 79,000 crore from 13th Finance Commission when Congress was in power.
"We will leave no stone unturned for overall development of the eastern region in which Odisha
will have a lion's share. We will develop Odisha the way Gujarat was developed," he assured.
Shah invoked Lord Jagannath before launching his tirade on the Opposition parties.
"I never felt Odisha different from Gujarat, rather it is my second home. It is because Mahaprabhu Jagannath has kept showering his blessings on both Gujarat and Odisha," he said.
He also urged Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to take the Central schemes to the doorsteps of beneficiaries with right earnest and let them feel the spirit of PM Narendra Podi.
Union Steel Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Union MSME Minister Pratap Sarangi, MPs Basanta Panda, Aparajita Sarangi, Suresh Pujari and Aswhini Baishnav and State BJP chief Samir Mohanty were present.