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Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah distributed citizenship certificates to 188 refugee sisters-brothers under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on 18 August, 2024. Many dignitaries were present on the occasion including the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Bhupendra Patel.
In his address, Shri Amit Shah said that the CAA is not just to give citizenship to millions of people settled in the country, but to give justice and rights to millions of refugees. He said that due to the appeasement policy of the previous governments, the people who took refuge in the country from 1947 to 2014 did not get their rights and justice. He said these people had to endure abuse not only in neighbouring countries but also here. Shri Shah said that these millions of people yearned for justice for three generations but due to the appeasement policy of the opposition, they did not get justice. He said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has provided justice to these lakhs and crores of people.
Union Home Minister said that at the time of independence, India was divided on the basis of religion and at that time there were severe riots. He said crores of Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains and Christians living in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh cannot forget their sufferings.
He said many families were left desolated, while, those now in Opposition had then promised that people from Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain and Christian communities coming from neighbouring countries would be given citizenship of India. Shri Shah said that by the time the elections came, the leaders of the then government had reneged on their promises and the assurances made in 1947, 1948 and 1950 were forgotten. He said the then government did not give citizenship to these people as it would have angered their vote bank. He said that due to their policy of appeasement, millions of these people were deprived of citizenship and there can be no greater sin than that.