Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a program organized on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti that we have tried to make a way to give citizenship to the Hindu-Sikh families of partition by enacting the Citizenship Amendment Act. The opposition has called it divisive and a statement made for electoral gains.
Kolkata: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that his government has tried to pave the way for granting citizenship to partition-affected Hindu and Sikh families through the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). His remarks have been condemned by the opposition as divisive and a statement made for electoral gains.
Prime Minister Modi said on Monday, at a function organized at the residence of National Commission for Minorities, Iqbal Singh Lalpura, to commemorate the 553rd birth anniversary of the first Sikh Guru Nanak Dev, the people of our Punjab, the people of the country made the sacrifices in Partition. In his memory, the country has started Partition Horror Memorial Day. We have tried to create a way to give citizenship to Hindu-Sikh families affected by partition by enacting CAA.
He had said, ‘How the situation in Afghanistan had deteriorated some time ago. We launched a campaign to bring back Hindu-Sikh families there. We also brought the forms of Guru Granth Sahib safely.
He had said that Gujarat has given citizenship to persecuted Sikh families abroad and made them feel that wherever Sikhs are in the world, India is their home.
Criticizing his remarks on the CAA law, the Trinamool Congress said it was an attempt to create a communal discourse ahead of the Gujarat Assembly and the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The Trinamool once again reiterated that it would never allow the law to be enforced in West Bengal. Party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, “Every time the elections are approaching, the BJP tries to adopt new tactics.”
Ghosh said those who came to India from Pakistan and erstwhile East Pakistan have already got citizenship. He said, ‘This issue of CAA is an attempt to fool people. Every time elections come, the BJP raises this issue to create a communal discourse. It has become an old trick.
He further said, ‘Gujarat election is very near now, BJP is again trying to provoke this issue. He should now stop using such lies to create discourse.
According to the Indian Express, he said, ‘There are provisions for obtaining citizenship in the current system of the country. Now a new system like CAA will only create division among the people as it discriminates against people on the basis of religion. Border security has to be improved to prevent infiltration. But the Center is adopting a discriminatory approach when it comes to granting citizenship. The people of Bengal will not allow such laws to be implemented here.
West Bengal Pradesh Congress President Adhir Chaudhary said, ‘Citizenship cannot be given on the basis of religion of a person. The Constitution of India does not allow this. It is against the nature of the country. This is nothing but an attempt to polarize the people of Gujarat ahead of the assembly elections.
CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said it would freshen old wounds of a large number of people who suffered the consequences of Partition.
Chakraborty said, ‘The country saw partition 75 years ago. Are not citizens of India living in the country for the last 75 years? If not, who is responsible for creating such a situation? They are being used as vote banks for a long time. After not considering them as citizens for so long, now the Center is talking about giving them citizenship. This is nothing but politics.
However, the BJP defended the Prime Minister by saying that the country believes in building a pluralistic society. “Sikhs have suffered unimaginable pain during Partition. He has seen the exodus of his people and his history is full of sacrifices. They deserve citizenship and the Center is committed to giving them their rights.
Significantly, CAA has come into existence in 2019, but its rules have not been finalized yet.
(with input from news agency language)
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