"No Compromise, CAA Will Never Be Taken Back": Amit Shah

New Delhi: Days after the Centre notified the Citizenship Amendment Act, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the law will never be taken back and the BJP-led government will never compromise with it.

"This is our sovereign right to ensure Indian citizenship in our country. We will never compromise on it and CAA will never be taken back," he said.

Asked about the Opposition bloc INDIA, specifically a Congress leader saying that they would repeal the law when they come to power, the Home Minister said that even the Opposition is aware it has bleak chances of coming to power.

"Even the INDI alliance knows that it will not come into power. CAA has been brought by the BJP and the Narendra Modi-led government. It is impossible to repeal it. We will spread awareness about it in the whole nation so that those who want to repeal it do not get a place," Mr Shah said.

The Union Minister dismissed criticism that the "CAA is unconstitutional", stating that it does not violate the constitutional provisions.

"They always talk about Article 14. They forget that there are two clauses in that Article. This law does not violate Article 14. There is a clear, reasonable classification here. This is a law for those who, due to partition, remained in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh and were facing religious persecution and decided to come to India," the Union Minister said.

Replying to the Opposition's claim of the timing of the notification coming ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Amit Shah said, "First of all, I will talk about the timing. All opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, and Arvind Kejriwal, are doing jhooth ki rajneeti (politics of lies). So the question of timing does not arise. The BJP made it clear in its 2019 manifesto that it will bring CAA and provide Indian citizenship to refugees (from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan). It has a clear agenda and under that promise, the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed in both Houses of Parliament in 2019. It got delayed due to Covid. The BJP cleared its agenda well before it got its mandate in the polls."

"Rules are now a formality. There is no question of timing, political gain, or loss. Now, the Opposition wants to consolidate their vote bank by doing appeasement politics... They have been exposed. CAA is the law for the entire country and I have reiterated nearly 41 times in four years that it will become a reality," he said.

The Home Minister said that there is "no question of political gain as the BJP's main aim is to provide rights and justice to persecuted minorities coming from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.

"The Opposition raised questions on the surgical strikes and the abrogation of Article 370 and linked it with political gain. So should we not take stern steps against terrorism? We have been saying since 1950 that we will withdraw Article 370," the Home Minister said.