Union minister of state for finance and corporate affairs Anurag Thakur on Friday said the protests against the Citizen Amendment Act (CAA) are politically motivated.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a state-level investor awareness programme organised by the ministry of corporate affairs at Dharamshala, Thakur said, “Some people give more importance to petty politics. They are misleading others and these protests are their brainchild.”
He said the CAA was for granting citizenship to the persecuted communities of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and not to strip anyone of their Indian citizenship. “These people have suffered years of repression and are now living in India. Don’t they have a right for citizenship?” he said.
Granting citizenship to such communities is a welcome step by the Narendra Modi government, he said. However, some people are trying to create a division by running propaganda and provoking people. This should stop. CAA doesn’t snatch away citizenship of members of minority communities of India.”
Thakur, who represents Hamirpur in the Lok Sabha, also urged people not to get misled by false information about CAA. “Those participating in the demonstrations don’t even know why they are protesting. All this should be stopped,” he said.