‘Several Countries for Muslims But Not a Single One For Hindus’: Gadkari on Citizenship Act Row

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said opposition parties are trying to mislead the people on the issue of Citizenship Amendment Act.

Amid widespread protests in the country against the Citizenship Amendment Act, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said the law is a necessity as no country in the world is specifically for the Hindus.

Speaking at the News18 India Chaupal on Wednesday, Gadkari justified the government’s move, saying, “There is no country in the world for the Hindus. Earlier Nepal was one Hindu nation but now there is not a single Hindu nation…so where will the Hindus, Sikhs go? For Muslims there are several Muslim nations where they can get citizenship…opposition is trying to mislead the people.”

Known for his friendship with politicians across parties, the senior BJP leader said, “He doesn’t make friends to do politics. A friend is a friend whether it’s a political party’s acche din or bure din”

“If we sell dreams but fail in delivery, people won't forgive,” the Union Road Transport and Highways Minister added.

Further supporting the recent CAA, he said if people study the Constitution, there will be no confusion. “Those who cannot convince, create confusion. Some parties on the model of fear. They think that if the minorities don’t fear for their lives and their rights, they won’t vote for that particular political party. I assure you that we are against any kind of discrimination against anyone”

As per Citizenship Amendment Act, a specific group of illegal immigrants — those who came from Afghanistan, Bangladesh or Pakistan on or before December 31, 2014 and belong to Hindu, Sikh Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, or Christian religious communities — will not be treated as illegal immigrants and will now be eligible for citizenship.

The law allows a person to apply for citizenship via naturalisation if they need the qualifications pertaining to residency in India — that they be employed in central government service for the past 12 months, or spend 11 of the past 14 years in India. For this group, the residency requirement for naturalisation has been relaxed from 11 years to 5 years.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Wednesday decided to examine the constitutional validity of the Act but refused to stay its operation.