The Central Government has ruled out scope for any changes in the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Moreover, the Act does not contain any provisions that will affect the minorities, Muslims in particular, Union Minister of Minorities Affairs Mukthar Abbas Naqvi said categorically here on Sunday, adding there is no taking back the Act and it is here to stay. “People opposing the Act should understand that there will not be any backtracking on the Act passed by the Parliament after thorough study of the report submitted by the Joint Select Committee comprising members from all political parties,” he averred.
Mr. Naqvi, who was here to inaugurate the Hunar Haat, said the CAA was envisaged to give citizenship to minorities of the three neighbouring countries, and not for taking away the citizenship of any community within the country. “Some people are trying to mislead a major section of the population in their attempts to create disturbances,” he said.
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Creating confusion
These “horror show mongers” were claiming that citizenship of a major section was under threat. “These gangsters are trying to create confusion in the minds of people with their hollow claims. People should understand the conspiracies that are being planned against the government,” he said.
Asked about AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi’s attempts to persuade the Telangana government to stop implementing the CAA and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s claim that the CAA would not be implemented in her State, Mr. Naqvi said the law passed by the Parliament would be implemented in all parts of the country without ifs and buts. “Jammu & Kashmir was an exception in the past. But the present law will be applicable there too following the abrogation of Article 370,” he maintained.
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‘States can’t supersede an Act of Parliament’
On some States’ moves to pass resolutions through their respective Assemblies to stall implementation of the CAA, he said, “There is no question of States superseding the Act of Parliament”. He clarified that the Act was re-introduced and passed in the Parliament by Home Minister Amit Shah as the previous Lok Sabha was dissolved before the passage of the Bill introduced then.
He called upon students and youth to expose the propaganda by vested interests against the CAA and said the government, on its part, launched steps to clarify the doubts and take people into confidence.