Refugees denied citizenship rights due to appeasement policy of Cong-led Govts: Shah

STATE TIMES NEWS

Ahmedabad: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said a large number refugees were denied citizenship rights in the country due to the appeasement policy of past governments led by the Congress and its allies.
Addressing a gathering in Ahmedabad after handing over citizenship to 188 Hindu refugees in Gujarat, Shah said the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) is about giving rights and justice to lakhs of refugees.
“The refugees were tortured in neighbouring countries because they were Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh or Jain. The appeasement politics of the INDI Alliance did not serve them justice. PM (Narendra) Modi gave them justice,” he said.
He also assured Muslims that there is no provision in the CAA to take away anyone’s citizenship, as it is about granting citizenship.
The past governments allowed crores of intruders into the country and made them citizens illegally, he said.
At the same time, they denied citizenship to those who followed the law and applied for the same by saying there was no legal provision for it, Shah said.
“Because of the policy of appeasement of past governments run by the Congress and its allies, those who came to the country for refuge did not get rights and justice,” the minister said.
He said Bangladesh had 27 per cent Hindus at the time of partition, but today they are just 9 per cent as they have been subjected to forced religious conversion.
Addressing another event, ‘karyakarta sammelan’ of Naranpura assembly constituency, Amit Shah urged local Bharatiya Janata Party workers to go beyond the party’s target for its membership drive and said there should not be a BJP booth where the number of women is less than 50 per cent.
He said that as per Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s request, technology will be used to analyse membership data.
Shah said the BJP won all three Lok Sabha seats in Ahmedabad by huge margins because party workers dedicated themselves for the development of both the eastern and western parts of the city.
“Our membership drive is going to be launched in a short time. Our national president has made an announcement about it. And when the membership drive is announced, none of us remain a party member as we will have to again become one (by renewing membership),” he said.
As per PM Modi’s request, Shah said, the party will use technology to analyse data of its membership drive.
“Details regarding this will be shared after the meeting. But I request you all to go beyond the target given by the party regarding Naranpura, Wadaj and Sardar Stadium wards,” he said.
Shah said BJP’s constitution requires all party workers to renew their membership after six years.
This has been done after a lot of thinking, as against the lifetime membership policy followed by many other political parties, he said.
In the BJP, the party workers get an opportunity to decide on renewing their membership and the party is given the opportunity to decide whether to renew the worker’s membership, he said.
“There should not be a single BJP booth in Naranpura ward which is not elected as per our constitution. There should not be a BJP booth where the number of women is less than 50 per cent. Also, no Dalit locality should be left out without a BJP booth,” he said.
Such parameters will be decided when the membership drive gains pace, he said.