BHUBANESWAR: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday 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 fuelling 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 his citizenship because of CAA. The law is for granting citizenship to religious minorities that have been persecuted in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, he reiterated. The 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 Vallabhbhai 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 years 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 fifth place in the last five years,” he said.
Shah who invoked Lord Jagannath before launching his tirade on the Opposition parties also urged Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to take the Central schemes to the beneficiaries with right earnest and let them feel the spirit of PM Narendra Modi.
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.