‘CAA Will Be Implemented At Any Cost’:  Union Minister Kishan Reddy Says Govt Will Not Be A Mute Spectator To Arson

The Modi government will go ahead with the implementation of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) despite the ongoing protests against it, Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said on Monday (30 December).

"No matter how many processions and rallies are taken out, CAA will be implemented at any cost as it is not against any Indian citizen," he said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader slammed the Congress party for anti-CAA protests and alleged that unable to face Prime Minister Narendra Modi politically, it was dividing people in the name of religion by spreading lies about the legislation. He said the opposition party was behind those resorting to violence and creating law and order problems.

Addressing a meeting organised by BJP in support of CAA in Hyderabad on Monday (30 December), he also warned that Modi government will not be a mute spectator to public property being vandalised.

Defending Uttar Pradesh police, he said the job of the police was to maintain law and order and they had nothing to do with politics. He also praised Yogi government for its handling of the situation and for making vandals pay for the damaged public property.

He claimed that 250 policemen in Uttar Pradesh were injured in the violence and 58 of them received gunshot injuries.

He questioned silence of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and other opposition leaders on stone pelting and arson during the protests.

He said some so-called intellectuals, some parties and organisations were doing a false propaganda over CAA to malign the government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

He alleged that these forces were provoking people and creating fear among Muslims by spreading lies that they will be sent to Pakistan and Bangladesh. He claimed that even some places of worship were being used for this propaganda.

The Central minister claimed that CAA is not aimed at snatching citizenship of any Indian but to give citizenship to minorities persecuted in Islamic countries' Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.

He said after the Partition both Indian and Pakistan had agreed to look after their respective minorities without any discrimination, but Islamabad went back on the agreement and persecuted the minorities by forceful conversions. "The population of minorities in Pakistan has come down to three per cent from 30 per cent earlier," he said.

Reddy said members of minorities from these countries migrated to India 30-40 years ago and were living in miserable conditions.

Stating that it is the responsibility of Indian society to help these people, he claimed that former prime minister Manmohan Singh while in opposition, and CPI-M leader Prakash Karat had demanded law for granting citizenship to these refugees.

He said the government brought CAA on humanitarian grounds to help the persecuted people. He said refugees were different from infiltrators and separate policies were needed to deal with them.

The minister said for BJP, there was no difference among Congress, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM).

Telangana state BJP chief K Laxman alleged that Chandrashekhar Rao became a tool in the hands of AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi by sending his ministers to the protest meetings against CAA, NPR and NRC.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)