Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in an exclusive interview with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, addressed the misconceptions surrounding the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), and criticized the Opposition for their misinformation campaign.
Rajnath Singh said, "Opposition has no agenda. They create various misconceptions, and are misleading the nation on Citizenship Amendment Act. Nobody is going to lose their citizenship due to CAA," aiming to dispel doubts surrounding the legislation.
Responding to a query about the potential implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the next term if NDA comes to power, Rajnath Singh urged people not to have any fear. "Nobody should have any fear about NRC. If a register of citizens is made, what is the harm in that?" he said.
Speaking on the Opposition leaders' statements, the minister urged them not to resort to diversionary tactics. "Opposition should not divert the attention of people and should not misguide them on this issue. Opposition should do politics by facing people and not by fooling them," he said.
In response to recent statements by TMC chief Mamata Banerjee and other political leaders expressing apprehensions about the CAA, Rajnath Singh emphasized the importance of passing on accurate information to the people in a healthy democracy.
He said, "People should not be misled in this way in a healthy democracy. And I think Mamata ji will also be aware of the fact that this citizenship law means no one’s citizenship is going to be terminated."
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Rajnath Singh's remarks came after Mamata Banerjee and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) voiced concerns regarding the implementation of the citizenship law in their states.
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Rajnath Singh speaking on citizenship eligibility for individuals of non-Indian origin, emphasized the government's non-discriminatory approach based on caste, creed, or religion. The Defence Minister cited the example of singer Adnan Sami, who was granted Indian citizenship during the formulation of the CAA, stressing the government's willingness to consider special situations for citizenship applications.
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"An attempt is being made to create a misconception that if someone is not of Indian race and is a Muslim and wants to get Indian citizenship under some special circumstances, then he will not get citizenship. I have already said that we are not the people who do politics of caste, creed and religion. If there are such special circumstances and if someone wants to take Indian citizenship, then our government can consider that too and I myself have given citizenship to Adnan Sami even at the time when this bill was being prepared," the Defence Minister said.
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