‘Will Provide Citizenship To Persecuted Minorities'

The Citizenship Amendment Bill is for those people whose roots are in India, defence minister Rajnath Singh told India Today TV in an exclusive interview.

- Rahul Kanwal

Campaigning in Jharkhand, which is witnessing a five-phase election, Singh spoke about the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and the BJP’s efforts to form the government in Maharashtra, among other issues.

On allegations that CAB is exclusionary to Muslims, Singh said, “The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is being brought for those people whose roots are in India but stay or stayed on in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. And if they are being persecuted for religious reasons, we are providing them citizenship.”

“Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh are Islamic states. Those who believe in Islam cannot face persecution there for religious identity. CAB is also for Christians who are of Indian origin,” the defence minister added.

Singh asserted that the Centre does not look at perspectives from the religious angle. “But in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, the state religion is Islam. People of other communities, who are of Indian origin and being persecuted, have no place to go. We will give them refuge in India,” he said.

“Muslims in these three countries may face other kinds of persecution but not religious. CAB is only for those who face religious persecution. While giving citizenship, everyone will be asked why they came here,” he iterated.

On why Tamils in Sri Lanka are not covered under CAB, Singh said, “Tamils were not persecuted only for their religion in Sri Lanka. The Tamil issue was solved after a few years. There is a difference between confrontation and persecution.”