Amit Shah hints at changes in Citizenship Act

FT ONLINE

There could be some changes in the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Union home minister Amit Shah has indicated as he blamed the Congress party for instigating violence in the northeast, where protests have erupted leading to the death of at least three people.

Amit Shah said he wants to assure the people of Assam and other states of the northeast that their culture, language, social identity and political rights will be not be affected by the act.

Protesters have clashed with the police in several areas of the northeast since Parliament approved the amended act earlier in the week, triggering a debate on whether the grant of citizenship could be linked to religion.

The new law allows citizenship to Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Jains, Christians and Buddhists fleeing persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. It has roiled the northeast, which has long demanded protections to safeguard its cultural identity.

The violence continued on Saturday in the northeast, which saw several incidents of arson and the killing of one person, taking the death toll in the protests up to three.

"It is the responsibility of the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to protect them," the Bharatiya Janata Party's president said at an election rally in Jharkhand's Giridih on Saturday.

Shah, who was addressing his first poll rally after the citizenship law was amended, said Meghalaya's chief minister Conrad Sangma and his cabinet ministers met him on Friday to discuss the issue.

"They said there is a problem in Meghalaya. I tried to make them understand that there is no issue. Yet, they requested me to change something (in the act). I have asked Sangma Ji to come to me when he is free after Christmas and we can think of a constructive solution for Meghalaya. Nobody has anything to fear," he said.

The home minister said the grand old party had a habit of branding important steps like the ban on triple talaq, scrapping of Article 370 and citizenship for religiously persecuted minorities as anti-minority since it was accustomed to vote bank politics.

"Congress has for years done Hindu-Muslim politics and encouraged evils like Naxalism and terrorism. When a Prime Minister like Narendra Modi takes a strong stand against terrorism, the Congress accuses him of vote bank politics and appeasement," he later tweeted.

Shah attacked Rahul Gandhi, saying the former Congress president is making "noises" and is ignorant of India's history as he has "Italian sunglasses" on.

"Even a district youth president of our party can give an account of the developmental work done during the five years of BJP-led rule in Jharkhand than what Rahul Gandhi's Congress has done during 55 years of its rule," he said.

"Rahul Gandhi and Hemant Soren ask why is the Kashmir issue important in Jharkhand elections?... The youth of this state is securing the borders of this country. But, Rahul Gandhi does not know history because he has Italian sunglasses on his eyes," he said.

The home minister also accused the Congress of "encouraging" Naxalism, "handing over" Kashmir to terrorists and dragging Ayodhya issue for years.

Shah addressed three election rallies in Giridih, Baghmara and Deoghar seats in Jharkhand where assembly elections are being held.