Congress Opposes Citizenship Law Without Conviction, Says Jitendra Singh

Reiterating government’s stand on the new citizenship law, Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday said India is the only shelter for religiously persecuted Hindus, Sikhs and other minorities who come from Pakistan, Bangladesh or Afghanistan. Singh, while launching the BJP’s countrywide 10-day mass contact drive to spread awareness about the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), said, “India owes responsibility towards the minorities living in these countries which proclaim Islam as their state religion.”

He attacked the Congress party in a meeting with Kavinder Gupta, former minister Sat Sharma, and veteran columnist, writer and Padmashri awardee K L Pandita, saying that the party had been opposing the new citizenship law without any “conviction”.

“The tragedy of Congress party and contemporary leaders of Congress is that either they do not read their own history or are blissfully ignorant of the statements made by their own party patriarchs and former prime ministers,” the Union Minister added.

He went on to say that if a “survey” was conducted among the family members of these Congress leaders, then, even they would not support their “anti-CAA stand”.

Continuing with his attack on the Congress, Singh said that a false fear is being created against Muslims and added that there is no place as safe and comfortable to live for the community as India.

Taking a dig at Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi over their opposition to the amended legislation, the minister said that they should be showed the records of proceedings of the winter session of Parliament in 1950 when the then Prime Minister and their great-grandfather (Nehru) had himself said that the persecuted minorities should be given citizenship even at the cost of amending the citizenship law.