JABALPUR: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to "find out the provision in the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA)" which can take the citizenship away from any Indian.
"I challenge Mamata Banerjee and Rahul Baba to find out a provision in the Citizenship Amendment Act that can take the citizenship away from anyone in this country," said Shah, while addressing a public meeting here.
Further attacking the Congress party, he said: "When the partition of the country took place, the Congress party divided the country on the basis of religion."
He said that the then leaders had assured Indian citizenship to the minority refugees from Pakistan.
"The Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, Jain, who lived in both East and West Pakistan wanted to come here, but they stayed there because of the bloodshed. The leaders of our country then assured them that they will be welcome here and given the citizenship whenever they come," said Shah.
Taking on the Congress for opposing the CAA, he said: "When the partition took place, there were 30 per cent Hindus in both East and West Pakistan. Today, there are just 3 per cent Hindus in Pakistan and 7 per cent Hindus in East Pakistan (Bangladesh). I want to ask the blind and deaf Congress leaders, where are my Hindu, Sikh, Sindhi brothers."
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 grants citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist, and Christian from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.