CAA row: Law fulfils pledge of Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru and Manmohan Singh, says Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan

CAA row: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on March 13 stated that eminent leaders of India, including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and many others, pledged to grant citizenship to persecuted religious minorities from neighbouring countries. He claimed that the ongoing outrage against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was just to create a political issue.

Arif Mohammed Khan said, "From Mahatma Gandhi, Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Maulana Azad to Dr Manmohan Singh everyone talked about it. This promise was made in 1947," reported ANI.

Also read: ‘CAA does not cancel…’: Govt issues statement for 18 crore Indian Muslims amid protests

The Congress party is continuing its protest against the new law. The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee on Wednesday, March 13, organised a protest in front of the Raj Bhavan. The agitators protested against the Central government's decision to enforce the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.

Also read: CAA India Highlights: 'Step is to divide the country, reap political benefits,' says Kerala's LoP Satheesan

While addressing the protesters, the Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, VD Satheesan, criticised the BJP, accusing it of notifying the CAA rules to divide the people along communal lines. He stated, "When the Congress was in power at the Centre, we brought several legislations to uplift the lives of the poor. But when the BJP came to power, they enacted laws to divide the people for political purposes," he said, according to a PTI report. 

Also read: CAA rules notified: Here are ‘key issues’ that the Citizenship Law may solve

Several leaders of the party were present during the agitation against PM Narendra Modi-led central government, including UDF convenor and senior party leader MM Hassan, CWC member and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor, and Attingal MP Adoor Prakash.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the CAA was related to the National Register of Citizens (NRC), which was why her party was against the law. Moreover, she termed the CAA a ‘political gimmick’ ahead of Lok Sabha polls.

Also read: CAA Protests: Why are people opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act?

The BJP-led government government on March 11 issued a CAA rule notification. The CAA was passed by Parliament in 2019 amid huge protests across the country but the notification stating rules came four years later just before Lok Sabha polls. The act expedites the citizenship process for non-Muslim migrants who are considered persecuted religious minorities. Opposition parties have termed the act discriminatory and a violation of the Constitution of India. 

Also read: Did Centre implement CAA to increase BJP's vote bank? asks Arvind Kejriwal

Religious minorities to be considered under this act include Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians who migrated from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan and arrived in India before December 31, 2014.

(With agency inputs)