India on Friday rejected the US State Department’s “concerns” regarding the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), and termed it as “misplaced, misinformed, and unwarranted”

Asserting that the CAA is about giving citizenship and not about taking it away, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “Lectures by those who have a limited understanding of India’s pluralistic traditions and the region’s post-partition history are best not attempted”.

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“As regards the US State Department statement on the implementation of CAA and comments made by several others, we are of the view that it is misplaced, misinformed, and unwarranted,” Randhir Jaiswal said, addressing a weekly media briefing.

“Partners and well-wishers of India should welcome the intent with which this step has been taken,” Randhir Jaiswal said in response to questions on the Act.

He added that the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 is an internal matter of India, and is in keeping with India’s inclusive traditions and its long-standing commitment to human rights.

The Act grants a safe haven to persecuted minorities belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist chant Parsi and Christian communities from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh, who have entered India on or before December 31, 2014.

Randhir Jaiswal further said that there are no grounds for any concerns or treatment of minorities, adding that “vote bank politics should not determine views about a laudable initiative to help those in distress”.

India’s tough response came after US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the US is “concerned about the notification of the CAA’s rules in India”.

Miller said that the US is closely monitoring how this act will be implemented.

The Central government on Monday implemented CAA, paving way for citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from neighbouring nations who entered India before December 31, 2014.

Critics have argued that the law undermines secular principles enshrined in the Indian Constitution by excluding Muslims from its purview.