In a sharp reaction to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s remarks on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Manoj Tiwari, BJP candidate from the North-East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, on Thursday said that he is a Chief Minister, still he was spreading fake news about this law by saying that 2.5 crore people will come to India.
“This law is for those who have come till December 31, 2014, and has nothing to do with the citizenship of Muslims,” Tiwari said.
“By opposing CAA, Kejriwal has proved that he is a big enemy of Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists and Jains. The people of Delhi and the country had never thought that you (Kejriwal) would stoop so low. Being a Chief Minister, you are spreading fake news about CAA,” the BJP MP said.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done the work of giving citizenship to those who were being tortured in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. You are spreading fake news that 2.5 crore people will come to India. This law is for those who have come till December 31, 2014, and has nothing to do with the citizenship of Muslims,” he said.
Tiwari also took a dig at Kejriwal and termed him a “Machine of hatred”.
“They will not get a ‘Sheesh Mahal’ like yours but will be given a house under PM Awas Yojana,” the BJP MP added.
Tiwari has been a Member of Parliament from the North East Delhi constituency since 2014.
In a significant step ahead of the announcement of poll schedule for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the Centre on Monday notified rules for the implementation of CAA, paving the way for granting of citizenship to people of certain faiths facing persecution in neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.
The CAA rules, introduced by the Narendra Modi government and passed by Parliament in 2019, aim to confer Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants – including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians – who migrated from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and arrived in India before December 31, 2014.
The CAA was an integral part of the BJP’s 2019 manifesto.