Accusing the Opposition of spreading falsehoods over Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and opposing it for the sake of appeasement politics, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday assured minorities that the act does not have any provision to snatch away their citizenship.

Addressing the BJP’s booth level workers at LB stadium in Hyderabad, he said, “We had said we will bring CAA to give citizenship to persecuted people from Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, communities who came from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. These people (Opposition) used to oppose it. Just yesterday, the Modi government fulfilled its promise of implementing CAA. Crores of Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhist and Jains who came from these neighbouring countries to protect their religion, honour and women. Modiji honoured them by giving them citizenship despite the objections of Congress, Majlis and BRS.”

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He said the Congress, AIMIM and the BRS were opposing CAA for appeasement politics.

“They are spreading misinformation. I want to assure our minority brothers and mothers that CAA will not take away the citizenship of anyone. CAA is a law for granting citizenship and not for taking it away. Owaisi (Asaduddin) is lying, Kharge (Mallikarjun) is also lying and so is Rahul Gandhi that CAA will take away citizenship but I assure you there is no such provision under CAA,” said the Union home minister.

Earlier in the day, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said, “You need to look at CAA in association with NRC and NPR. Did not Union home minister Amit Shah take my name in the Parliament and say NRC and NPR will be implemented? … It’s on record… This is all smoke. Their (BJP) main aim is to implement NPR and NRC in the country.”

He then cited the case of Assam and said out of 19 lakh people left out of NRC, the Hindus who are about 10-12 lakh have been assured by the chief minister that they will get citizenship without documents under CAA. But the Muslims will have to go to the Foreigners’ Tribunal and Owaisi termed it as an injustice.

The home minister further attacked the Congress government in Telangana accusing it of being under the influence of AIMIM and Owaisi. He told the workers that the target would be to win more than 12 seats in Telangana.