Protests may continue, CAA will not be withdrawn, says Amit Shah

Lucknow: Even as protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) continue across the country, Union Home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said the government won't step back on the contentious legislation.

Addressing a rally in Lucknow, Shah said: "I want to say it again that the government is not going back on the CAA. Those who want to protest may continue doing so."

Asserting that the law has nothing against the citizens of the country, Shah hit out at the Opposition parties for spreading "lies" about the CAA. "There is no provision of taking anyone's citizenship in CAA. Canards being spread against CAA by Congress, SP, BSP, TMC," the Home minister added.

Shah also added: "At the time of Partition, Hindu, Sikh Buddhist and Jain constituted 30 per cent of the population in Bangladesh and 23 per cent in Pakistan. But today, it's just 7 per cent and 3 per cent, respectively. Where have these people gone? Those who are protesting against CAA, I want to ask them this." Targeting West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, he said she is now opposing Indian citizenship for Dalit Bengalis.

At the same meeting, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath alleged that the Congress is shelling out money for arson and protests over the CAA.

Shah said there is no provision in the amended law for taking anyone's citizenship away. A canard is being spread against the CAA by the Congress, SP, BSP, and Trinamool Congress. The CAA is a law to grant citizenship, he added.

"I want to say that irrespective of the protests it will not be withdrawn," he added.

"I challenge Rahul, Akhilesh, Mamata and Mayawati for a discussion on CAA with me in public forum," Shah added.

"Rahul baba open your ears and listen carefully. Because of the sins of your party in 1947, the country's partition on religious basis was accepted. Mentioning figures, he said the proportion of Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains in Pakistan and Bangladesh dropped drastically after Partition.

"Where have they gone? They were either killed, converted or came to India as refugees. These blind people cannot see that atrocities were committed on crores of people," he said.

Meanwhile, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Monday said it will not contest the Delhi Assembly polls next month after it was asked by its ally BJP to change its stand on the CAA.

Addressing a press conference, SAD leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa said: "During our meeting with the BJP, we were asked to reconsider our stand on CAA but we declined to do so. SAD is of the firm stand that Muslims cannot be left out of CAA. We are also strongly against the National Register of Citizens (NRC)."