"We Are Ready To Debate": Amit Shah To Rahul Gandhi On Citizenship Act

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to prove that the Citizenship Amendment Act would take away citizenship from Indian Muslims and advised him to read the act completely.

"They (Congress and others) are trying to spread lies..I want to tell Muslim brothers of the country that no one can take away your citizenship, no one wants to take it away. You have the same rights on this country as we have. Nothing will happen to you," Mr Shah said. 

Caling those who are against the Citizenship Amendment Act "anti-Dalits", Mr Shah said that there was no clause in the new act that takes away citizenship of Muslims and accused the Congress and Rahul Gandhi of trying to create confusion.

"I challenge Rahul Gandhi...read the CAA completely, if you find anything that takes away citizenship of Indian Muslims....our minister Pralhad Joshi is ready to debate with you," Mr Shah said.

Addressing a public meeting in Karnataka's Hubballi as part of the BJP's nationwide oureach program on the Citizenship Amendment Act, Mr Shah accused the Congress of dividing the country on the basis of religion.

Mr Shah also accused the Congress, the left, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal of indulging in vote bank politics on the Citizenship Amendment Act.

Highlighting religious persecution, murders, conversion and rapes, Mr Shah said in 1950, Rahul Gandhi's great grandfather Jawarharlal Nehru had signed an agreement with Liaquat Ali of Pakistan that both sides will protect and give citizenship to minorities.

"What happened in 70 years? India has kept its promise....but in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. After independence, their population has been reduced to 3 per cent in Pakistan and 7 per cent in Bangladesh," Mr Shah said.

Noting that Jawarharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Rajendra Prasad, and Maulana Azad had promised citizenship to religious minorities from neighboring countries, he said "Rahul Baba, all these people were from the Congress, they were great leaders."

"You (Congress) did not keep up the promise despite being in power for 70 years, Narendra Modi is today trying to fulfil that promise by giving them citizenship," he said.