New Delhi: Despite nationwide outrage against the new Citizenship Amendment Act passed by BJP leaders, unfazed by the protests, Home Minister Amit Shah has firmly asserted the ruling party is firm like a rock and that the police crackdown on students was a necessary action.
The Home Minister defending the new Hindu- religion based citizenship law addressing the business leaders now for the first time since the protests were reported from across the nation.
The Citizenship Amendment Act grants Indian citizenship to those refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh fleeing those countries due to religious persecution and who entered India on or before December 31, 2014.
“When the country was divided on the basis of religion and the minorities are being persecuted there in the name of religion, then will you not give them your citizenship?” Shah asked referring to the 1947 partition in a broadcast on Monday. “Where will they go?,” he continued, NDTV reported.
Assam NRC and CAB:
This new bill will allow the influx of migrants from Bangladesh citizenship while on the same hand around 1.9 million majority Muslims will lose their Indian citizenship since they are already labelled as ‘illegal immigrants’.
Now, where will these Assamese Muslims go after losing their citizenship? Truth– these Assamese Muslims will be persecuted a fact that leaders are boldly stating.
When asked about the fate of these Assamese Muslims, the ruling party firmly maintains, they are ‘illegal migrants’.
Despite India being a secular, democratic nation, this discrimination based on religion is condemned and criticized by Indian Muslims, as well as globally.
This new law will change India’s traditional secular ethos enshrined in its Constitution that treats all religions on par.
“This isn’t about religion, this is about justice,” said a 22-year-old student at Tuesday’s protests outside Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia University, which faced the worst police crackdown.
“The law is against the constitution of India. It discriminates against fellow citizens,” she claims which is valid and right.
The influential authorities seem to forget India is a ‘democratic’ country. Although the protestors remain firm on repealing the act that is a threat to Indian Muslim citizenship, the ruling government shows no signs of backing down on the bill.
The diverting attention policy is widely incorporated by the ruling saffron party that plays its moves wisely.
While the whole nation is protesting against the bill, the government is now turning its attention to building a temple for Lord Ram on the site of a demolished mosque in Ayodhya that will divide Hindus attention from the discriminatory Bill leaving Muslim community alone.
The protests are undermining efforts to attract foreign investment with India’s economy growing at its slowest pace in more than six years and unemployment is the highest in more than four decades.
Addressing the business leaders, Shah on Tuesday told that the Modi government is working toward fixing a temporary economic slowdown and that the economy should cover ground in three quarters.
“The idea of a strong India is important and it is sad that the students are getting sucked into politics,” said Sajjan Jindal, chairman of JSW Steel Ltd. adding, “this law will protect the country from illegal immigrants”.