Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticized the Opposition on Thursday, accusing them of attempting to incite riots by spreading falsehoods about the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
“The Prime Minister said that granting Indian citizenship to refugees has already started under CAA and that although those in the INDIA bloc claim they will remove it nobody can ‘end the CAA,'” the source said.
He said that the Congress had mistreated refugees for decades during an Azamgarh rally, citing the CAA as the most recent illustration of his administration’s devotion.
“Under the CAA, the process of granting refugees Indian citizenship has already begun… They are individuals who have to endure hardships as a result of the country’s religious division; they have all lived in our nation for a considerable amount of time,” Prime Minister Modi said.
He criticized the Congress, stating, “These (Congress) people climb the stairs of power taking the name of Mahatma Gandhi, but they don’t remember the words of Mahatma Gandhi.”
PM Modi emphasized that the CAA aims to grant citizenship to victims of partition, which has already commenced, and accused the opposition of spreading misinformation to incite violence.
“It’s Modi who has unmasked you. You are hypocrite, communal. You left this nation to burn in the communal fire for 60 years. I am saying it clearly, it’s Modi’s guarantee: ‘desh-videsh kahin se bhi, jo bhi taakat ikatthi karni hai kar lo’… You can’t end CAA. We are working of giving citizenship to those who are victims of partition, which has already started under CAA,” he added.
He highlighted the global recognition of India’s democracy and dismissed any possibility of reversing the decisions regarding Article 370 and the CAA.
“Desh mein koi maai ka laal paida hua hai jo CAA hata sake? (Has anyone been born in this country who can repeal the CAA?). Nobody can remove the CAA,” PM Modi emphasized.
On Wednesday, the central government issued the first set of citizenship certificates, two months after announcing the rules for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
The Union Home Secretary congratulated the applicants and highlighted the key features of the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024.
The CAA, introduced by the Narendra Modi government and passed by Parliament in 2019, aims to grant Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants who migrated from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan before December 31, 2014.