CAA to grant citizenship, not snatch it: Anurag Thakur allays fears

The rules were notified days ahead of the expected announcement of the Lok Sabha elections. With this, the Modi government will now start granting Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh: The Citizenship (Amendment) Act is a legislation that will grant citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan and not snatch it, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said on Thursday.

The Centre on Monday announced implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019, paving the way for granting citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014.

The rules were notified days ahead of the expected announcement of the Lok Sabha elections. With this, the Narendra Modi government will now start granting Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants -- Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians -- from the three countries.

"The CAA is for granting citizenship and not snatching it," Thakur told reporters in Hamirpur.

Thakur, who has been renominated by the BJP from the Hamirpur Lok Sabha seat, also attacked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and called him the "biggest liar in the world".

Kejriwal is an example of how an educated person spreads misconceptions, Thakur said in reaction to the AAP chief terming implementation of the CAA ahead of the Lok Sabha polls "dirty vote bank politics" of the BJP.

Kejriwal on Wednesday said, "With this law, the BJP government at the Centre has opened the floodgates for the arrival of a large number of poor minorities from Pakistan and Bangladesh in India."

Thakur also attacked the Congress and said the party neither has any policy nor programme for the people.

It is raising wasteful slogans to remain relevant. This gimmick will not work and the Congress will collapse again, he added.

The Union minister also alleged that the Congress supports the "tukde tukde gang" and wants to divide the country while Modi talks about the country's welfare.

The people of Himachal feel cheated by the false promises of the Congress, Thakur said and added that he has visited several places across the country and the public has made up its mind to vote for the BJP.

He further gave a call for people to join hands with the BJP for their welfare and reject the Congress.

Thakur also expressed his gratitude to the BJP leadership for fielding him from the Hamirpur seat for the fifth consecutive time.