Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah distributed citizenship certificates to 188 refugees under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Ahmedabad on Sunday. During the event, Shah said that the CAA is designed to give justice and rights to millions of refugees who have been waiting for citizenship for decades.
Speaking at the event, Shah said, “The CAA is not just about granting citizenship, but about giving justice and rights to millions of refugees who have been suffering for generations.”
He criticized the previous governments, accusing them of neglecting refugees due to “appeasement policies.” He said, “Due to the appeasement policy of the previous governments, people who took refuge in the country from 1947 to 2014 did not get their rights and justice.”
Shah also highlighted the plight of refugees who faced abuse both in their home countries and after arriving in India. “These people had to endure abuse not only in neighbouring countries but also here. For three generations, these millions of people yearned for justice,” he said. “But due to the opposition’s appeasement policy, they did not get justice. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has provided justice to these lakhs and crores of people.”
Reflecting on India’s partition, Shah said, “At the time of independence, India was divided on the basis of religion, leading to severe riots. Crores of Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains, and Christians living in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh cannot forget their sufferings.”
He accused past governments of breaking their promises to grant citizenship to religious minorities from neighbouring countries. “The then government did not give citizenship to these people as it would have angered their vote bank. Due to their policy of appeasement, millions were deprived of citizenship,” Shah said.
Shah reiterated that the CAA is meant to grant, not revoke, citizenship. “Through this law, crores of Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, Sikhs, who did not get justice, started getting justice. There is no provision in this law to take anyone’s citizenship,” he said.
He “assured” refugees across the country that the CAA would provide them with justice and dignity. “This law will work to give justice and honour, and will be an atonement for the atrocities that happened to the refugee people,” Shah concluded.
