'Misplaced, misinformed, unwarranted': India responds to US statement over CAA

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal

The Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 is an internal matter of India and it is in line with the country’s inclusive traditions and a long-standing commitment to human rights, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on March 15. He was responding to  United States expressing concerns over the implementation of the Act.

While defending CAA, Jaiswal said, “The act grants a safe haven to persecuted minorities belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian communities from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh who have entered India on or before 31st December 2014. The CAA is about giving citizenship, not about taking away citizenship, so this must be underlined.” Lectures by those who have a limited understanding of India's pluralistic traditions and the region's post-partition history are best not attempted, Randhir Jaiswal said.

"The CAA addresses the issue of statelessness, provides human dignity and supports human rights," Jaiswal said, asserting that the law is an internal matter of India. The CAA, 2019 is in keeping with India's inclusive traditions and long-standing commitment to human rights, he added.

Further, in a slightly stern response, Jaiswal said the US State Department's statement on the implementation of CAA, and the comments made by several others, are misplaced, misinformed and unwarranted. India's constitution guarantees freedom of religion to all its citizens. There are no grounds for any concern or treatment of minorities, Jaiswal added.

The US State Department on March 14 said that they are closely monitoring the situation.

“We are concerned about the notification of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act on March 11,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters at his daily briefing.

“We are closely monitoring how this act will be implemented. Respect for religious freedom and equal treatment under the law for all communities are fundamental democratic principles,” Miller said in response to a question.

The Union government implemented the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 on Monday, paving the way for the grant of citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014.