'Kejriwal has forgotten Partition': Amit Shah blasts Delhi CM on CAA, says opposing Hindu refugees, not Rohingyas

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday hit back at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for criticising the Centre for implementing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). On Wednesday, Kejriwal said giving citizenship to Hindu refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh will increase thefts and rapes. 

Responding to this, Amit Shah said, "The Delhi CM has lost his calm (aapa kho baithe hain) after his corruption was exposed. He is doing vote bank politics." "There is no question of jobs, they are already here. He (Kejriwal) does not know that all these people have already come and are living in India. If he is so concerned (about jobs), then why doesn't he talk about Bangladeshi infiltrators or oppose the Rohingyas? He is doing vote bank politics."

The Home Minister said that Kejriwal is backing Bangladeshi infiltrators and Rohingyas, but opposing refugees belonging to Hindu, Christian, Parsi, Jain, and Buddhists communities. 

Shah said Kejriwal has forgotten the background of partition and he should meet the families of refugees. He justified the CAA, saying families from these minority communities were hit by the partition, which was done by the Congress. "At that time, all parties said that whoever comes will be given citizenship. We won't go back on our promise."

The Home Minister also responded to AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, who described the law as discriminatory and said the Centre's main aim is to bring NRC. Shah said there cannot be religious oppression of Muslims because Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh are declared Islamic states. "There is no provision for NRC in this law. There is no provision in this law to take anyone's citizenship."

The opposition leaders have said that if they come to power, they will repeal the CAA. The Home Minister said it is impossible to repeal the CAA as it is a fully constitutionally valid law. "The Supreme Court has not stayed this law. I want to ask Uddhav Thackeray to make it clear whether CAA should be implemented or not. He wants minority votes and is doing appeasement politics."

When asked about MK Stalin and Mamata Banerjee's decision to not implement the CAA in their respective states, the Home Minister said, "Article 11 of our Constitution gives all the powers to make rules regarding citizenship to the Parliament. This is a Centre's subject, not the state's… I think everyone will cooperate after the elections. They are spreading misinformation for appeasement politics."