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Opposition spreading lies on CAA, wants to disturb peace: Pradhan
Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday accused opposition parties, including the Congress, the Samajwadi Party, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the
Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday accused opposition parties, including the Congress, the Samajwadi Party, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Trinamool Congress, of spreading confusion and lies about the Citizenship Amendment Act.
Pradhan said these parties wanted to disturb the country’s peace because of ‘their vote bank politics’. The union minister was in Varanasi to launch Mahasampark Abhiyan (mega public relations campaign) to remove confusion about the CAA.
He visited the homes of former Banaras Bar Association president Rajesh Mishra, international basketball player Vibhor Bhriguvanshi, UP Sonkar community president Pradeep Sonkar and apprised them about the CAA.
He also gave a CAA booklet, comprising detailed information on the citizenship law.
“The nation’s interest is paramount for the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre. The CAA is meant to grant the citizenship of India to the persecuted minorities, including Hindus, Christians, Sikh, Parsis, Jains and followers of Buddhism from the neighbouring countries, including Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. These minorities from neighboring countries were persecuted on religious grounds and faced injustice there. The minorities who came to India as refugees from the three neighbouring countries before December 31, 2014 and are living here since then, such people will be given citizenship under this law. CAA doesn’t affect the citizenship of any Indian. It doesn’t take away anyone’s citizenship.”
He said the recent attack on Sikhs at Nankana Sahib Gurudwara was fresh proof of persecution of minorities in Pakistan.
He said the opposition parties did not stop to think even once that CAA would liberate many people from persecution and torture.
The opposition should stop spreading lies and confusion over CAA, he said.
Pradhan said in 2003, senior Congress leader and the then Rajya Sabha member Dr Manmohan Singh (who later went on to serve as PM for 10 years from 2004 to 2014) advocated giving citizenship to the minorities, including Hindu and Sikhs, who faced religious persecution in the neighbouring countries.
